Something Worth Dying For
by bossy
Summary: Nami is a girl from East Blue, one of the most crime ridden cities in all of All Blue. She fights to survive day to day, whether it be in school or in the yakuza she belongs to. But as chance may have it, her own boss transfers her to a school that puts her in the desk right behind a boy who will help change her future, whether it be for good or for bad has yet to be determined.
1. Chapter One: Nami

**Prologue: Luffy**

Mondays were lame. Especially at eleven in the morning. Luffy was stuck in his seat ignoring his geography lesson and staring out the window looking for something— _anything_ —interesting. One seat over and one row back, Zoro had already succumbed to boredom and had fallen asleep at his desk. If their teacher, Miss Nico, had noticed, she had yet to decide on a suitable punishment, because she continued to let him sleep.

Sighing heavily, Luffy watched as a car drove down the adjacent street. It wasn't necessarily interesting, but his eyes followed it until it turned down another street and disappeared from sight. It was only the third car to pass by on the street since school had started. It had been a boring two hours, and looked to likely stay that way for the rest of school's duration.

Without warning, the door to the classroom slid open with a loud snap, gaining the attention of the room. Even Zoro snorted awake and looked in irritation to the source of the bothersome noise. The school's principle, Crocodile, stood in the doorway, smirking with his unlit cigar hanging from his teeth.

"Miss Nico," Principle Crocodile greeted with a nod. Miss Nico returned the gesture. "I have brought a new student for your class."

He stepped into the room and opened the doorway to the student. Everyone stared in stupefied awe at the girl in the doorway. She wore simple street clothes, which wasn't uncommon for new transfers on the first day, but what was unusual was her bright orange hair. That, and the murderous glare she was directing towards Principle Crocodile. No one was openly hostile to that man and got away with it.

He saw her glare and his smirk turned into a wide grin. "Try to get along with your fellow students, _Nami-chan_ , and don't fight."

The new girl, Nami, raised an eyebrow at him as she walked past him to Miss Nico and bowed politely. "Pleased to make your acquaintance. Please take good care of me."

Miss Nico smiled and gave her a few text books, directing her to the only open seat in the classroom—the one directly behind Luffy and next to Zoro. The orange-haired girl walked down the aisle of seats and sat at the appointed desk without a word or glance at anyone else.

Which was a feat since everyone was staring at her. Luffy included. Even after Principle Crocodile had left and Miss Nico called back the attention of the class, Luffy still sat halfway turned in his seat so he could stare. The orange-haired girl was deliberately looking towards the head of the class and not him, but she must have been annoyed by him.

She reached across her desk and grabbed his chin and pushed it to look at the head of the class. When his eyes rested there, he saw that Miss Nico was staring at him, her arms crossed and a displeased expression on her face.

"Thank you for joining us, Luffy," she said. "As I was saying, do you know the answer to number three?"

Luffy looked down at his desk where his book was open, but obviously on the wrong page. There were no questions on these pages. His hand went to the back of his head to scratch it lamely.

"Shi, shi, shi, nope," he answered honestly. Miss Nico looked as though she expected such an answer and turned her attention to the next row over.

"Zoro? Might you be able to give us the correct answer?" she posed. "Or were you too invested in your nap to keep up?"

Zoro, who had been flipping pages in his own book to find the correct page, looked up in annoyance. "No. I don't know the answer."

Miss Nico let out a little sigh. "Detentions for both of you. Now, who can give me the correct answer?"

Not one hand raised in the class. Miss Nico's displeased face grew dark. Luffy heard a heavy sigh from behind him.

"One Piece is the original founding country from the 0070's that prospered under the leadership of then criminal Gold Roger. Upon his death in the 0120's, One Piece was divided into five parts: North, South, East, and West Blue, all which bordered the new capitol city of All Blue."

Luffy twisted around in his seat again to stare at the girl called Nami. She wasn't looking at him; she was staring out the window as he had been before. In front of her, the geography text book was open to the correct page.

"Correct. Thank you Nami," Miss Nico praised, her dark aura dissipating. Luffy continued to stare until Nami caught him and shot him a glare. She jutted her chin towards the front of the class and Luffy reluctantly turned around in his seat.

Class was boring again, no doubt about that, but Luffy didn't mind it as much. It seemed his silent wishes were granted and something interesting had walked into the classroom.

 **Chapter One: Nami**

School was boring. But Nami was used to that. It had been a long time since school had ever presented any sort of challenge to her. She'd been acing her tests and homework long before she and her sister had been transferred to this shady school.

Damn the East Blue. The most corrupt of all the Blue suburbs. Nami had lived there all her life, but without much in terms of problems until she was ten. That was when Smoker, the infallible prosecution attorney for the East Blue Special Police, had talked Belle-mere out of her private security job and into assisting him nearly six years ago. Nami had loathed the decision as soon as it happened.

Smoker had a reputation as the only prosecution attorney that could not be corrupted. But that also made him a target. The hoards of gangs, yakuzas and mafias that made the East Blue their home base were constantly out for the man—and anyone who worked with him. The minute Belle-mere had agreed to work for Smoker, a target had been laid on her back. That target also shone down onto Nami herself, as well as her sister Nojiko.

So at the ripe young age of ten, Nami had made a deal with the devil to save her mother's life. She had agreed to work as a 'messenger' for one of East Blue's strongest yakuza bosses and in return, they would make sure no one made an attempt at Belle-mere's life. Or Nojiko's for that matter. It was the best Nami could secure in terms of protection for her family.

Nami's 'employer' didn't ask much from her, but it was still a dangerous job. Being a Messenger was a very simple task: when she saw a rival gang encroaching on their territory, she was to give them the message that they were trespassing and to get the hell off of it. Being only ten, most of the gangs and mafia's hadn't taken her seriously. She had solved that the only way she knew how: with her fists.

Nami had been fighting a long time. Likewise it meant she was very good at it after six years. Oh, she'd had her bad days when she'd gotten the shit beat out of her, but that was the rarity nowadays. She even had a reputation among the rival factions: they knew not to mess with the orange-haired Messenger from the Fishman yakuza. If they did somehow manage to best her in skill, the revenge that would come at them would be deadly.

Nami hated being indebted to her employer. She loathed it more than anything. It was one of the reasons that she fought so hard. She didn't want that man to ever have to clean up after her, giving herself another debt to him. Worse still, she couldn't say no to him, therefore when he had summoned her to his office two days ago, Nami had gone without hesitation. She figured it would be another Messenger assignment. Probably about the Clown Gang, who she had spotted in the area of a local middle school that was in Fishman Village's jurisdiction.

How wrong she was.

"I have a special assignment for you, my dear," her employer told her. Nami barely controlled the urge to curl her lip at the term of endearment. "I can only entrust it to you."

That earned some hisses from the other Fish in the room. None of them liked her—and for whatever reason, she was a favorite of her boss. Not that Nami cared for the distinction.

"Then I shall do my best," she assured him.

"I have no doubt," he grinned widely, threading his fingers together and resting his chin on them. "I am having the district lines redrawn this afternoon. You will start attending Loguetown Senior High School the day after tomorrow."

It didn't matter very much to Nami what high school she attended because with her aptitude, she could skip through high school tomorrow to graduate. But still, her curiosity was piqued. "Are you reassigning my Messenger area?"

"Adding to it," he corrected. "With restrictions, though."

Nami narrowed her eyes in confusion. Restrictions? She'd never had restrictions before. Was there someone she was not supposed to approach?

"It has come to my knowledge that a faction of the Shichibukai has infiltrated the school," he revealed. Nami's eyes widened. The Shichibukai were the largest yakuza in all of the area that was known as One Piece. Generally, they stayed in the area of All Blue, hardly ever venturing to the suburban cities. For them to come into East Blue, and in stealth…it meant something big was going down.

"I want you to observe mostly," he went on, regaining her attention. "I have been assured by a representative of the Shichibukai that they intend no ill will towards us; that they are only searching for information on a single person that is of significance to them. But I do not trust them. I want you to observe these operatives and report to me if anything goes on beyond a little information scavenging. Am I understood?"

Not clearly, but Nami wasn't about to admit that. "Yes, boss."

Her boss tossed a manila folder to the edge of his desk. "This is the information I have on the operatives that are here from the Shichibukai. I want to know if they have any other operatives that weren't divulged to me, as well as any secondary information that may come up."

Nami picked up the folder and glanced through it briefly. Her eyes widened slightly. Baroque Works. She'd heard about them. They were mostly made up of a bunch of assassins, and therefore quite deadly. And they had infiltrated a school? To look for information? The whole thing rankled. Nami now knew why her boss was assigning her to watch them. There absolutely had to be something else—something much bigger—going on.

Underneath the heading Baroque Works, there was a list of numbers divided by ranks. Officers, Frontiers, Millions and Billions. Beside the list of ranks were names. Mr. 0, Miss All Sunday, Mr. 1, Miss Double Finger, etc. But no pictures. How the fuck was she supposed to watch these people if all she had were code names?

"I expect you to do what you do best," her boss spoke up before she could voice her complaint. "A fight will no doubt get you the attention you need in order to discover these agents. They will no doubt want little to no disturbances in the school when conducting their little 'search' and will in turn approach you."

Ah. There was the 'ingenious plan.' But he was right; that would no doubt get her approached about her actions and she'd make her first contact. But it was also risky. The Baroque Works were not the type of people to take things lightly. If they thought she was a problem, they would likely execute her before she had a chance to report back to her boss.

"Be careful, my dear," he warned her, but not with concern about her well-being. That was laughable. "I would hate it if all the time and money I've put into you were to be wasted because you got overzealous in your assignment."

Nami smirked. "Like I said, I'll do my best."

And so here she was, in her first day in a new school. And she had already been outed. She sneered in annoyance, recalling her visit with the principal that morning.

Belle-mere had accompanied both Nami and Nojiko to school, wanting to see for herself what kind of place her daughters were being forced into. There had been talk at the dinner table about how the redrawing of district lines had been sudden and oddly timed in the middle of the school year, but no one had said outright what was on their minds: it was suspicious.

"Ah, ladies, do come in."

Belle-mere led the way into the office of the principal, with Nojiko following and Nami in the rear. She was busy giving the secretary a sidelong glance to notice what was going on between her mother and the principal.

The secretary, whose name plate on her desk named her Miss Valentine, was a name that had been listed in the manila folder Nami had received two days ago. Honestly, was it really going to be that easy? Or was it just a coincidence?

When she returned her attention to her mother, she saw that Belle-mere was doing what she did best: calling someone out on their bullshit. The principal, named Crocodile apparently, or so read his name plate, was smiling sheepishly at the red headed woman.

"I can assure you, I have no idea why the district lines were redrawn," Crocodile was saying. "Nor was it my idea. I prefer my students to get the best education possible, and reschooling them in the middle of a semester is not the best way to do that."

Belle-mere clearly did not believe the man in question. Her eyes narrowed as they usually did when she detected deceit. "I find it very suspicious, though, that these district lines only moved a select few students around. Including my daughters. Why should they go to a school so far away from their home? Shells Town Senior High was only ten minutes from home. Now they must walk an hour to get to school."

"I am sorry, but I have no answer for you," Crocodile lamented. "But if it makes you feel any more at ease, shall I arrange tutoring for your daughters so they do not fall behind because of this move? I am afraid I cannot offer any means of transportation, though I will tell you there is a train that stops near Shells Town."

"It's fine," Nami finally spoke up, attempting to sound bored. "Neither Nojiko nor I will need any special tutoring from changing schools and you know it. I can't speak for Nojiko, but I really don't care what school I go to. So don't worry about it."

"I don't mind changing schools," Nojiko added as well. "And Nami's right; we won't need tutors."

Belle-mere gave them both a stern look, but then sighed in defeat. "Well, fine. If it really doesn't matter to you…"

Neither girl denied it and Belle-mere looked fiercely back to Crocodile. "Then I leave them in your care."

Nami smirked at how Crocodile seemed to wither a little bit under Belle-mere's glare. But without another word, their mother left the office. Nami watched her go, wondering if Belle-mere would bring Smoker in on the matter to investigate why the district lines were redrawn. Nami hoped not.

"Once again, ladies," Crocodile spoke up, "I apologize for the inconvenience. Please let me know if you have any problems. I am more than willing to accommodate anywhere I can."

He handed Nojiko a piece of paper before handing Nami one herself. Nami studied the paper, reading down the list of subjects. It was her class schedule.

"Since school has started already, I will escort you to your classes," Crocodile offered in a way that was not meant to be denied. Nami had a pretty good idea that this man belonged with Baroque Works by the way he seemed to try to accommodate everyone and sate any worries they might have. It was exactly what an agent would do if they were trying to keep the situation quiet. But just where was he on the list?

They made it to Nojiko's class first and Nami stood outside in the hall while Crocodile introduced Nojiko to the class. She glanced in briefly to peek at the teacher, seeing a man with glasses and a calm demeanor, but with absurd hair. It looked as though it stuck out in every direction as it was pony tailed on top of his head. His name plate read Mr. Galdino.

Nami was picking her nails when Crocodile retreated from the room. He made a sweeping motion with his arm as he indicated for her to continue down the hall, a shitty looking grin on his face. Nami was going to refrain from commenting, but changed her mind after he spoke.

"Well, well, Nami- _chan_ ," he sneered. "I would guess we have quite a few things to talk about."

"You mean aside from your lecherous grin?" she replied, riled by his demeaning tone of voice as he spoke her name. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

He laughed lowly. "Don't play dumb, Nami- _chan_. It doesn't suit an incredibly intelligent woman such as yourself."

"Isn't flattering the students against the rules here?" she returned flatly.

"I am merely complimenting you on your intelligence," Crocodile explained, though his lecherous grin still remained. "No other meaning is intended."

"Good," Nami huffed. "I'm guessing that student-faculty relationships are prohibited here."

"Indeed they are," Crocodile agreed. "But you and I are far from principal and student, aren't we?"

Nami gave him a suspicious look.

"My dear Nami- _chan_ , I know exactly why you are here," he told her, stopping in the hallway. Not knowing where she was supposed to go, Nami had to stop too, though she was sorely tempted to keep going and walk out the front doors, classes begotten. "Your _employer_ has sent you to watch over me."

Nami kept her expression passive. "So what?"

"So, why don't we try our best to get along?" Crocodile suggested. "It would be a shame to have to make amends to that shitty Fishman gang because I had to off one of his precious pets."

"I am not a pet," she scoffed. "I am a Messenger. And my assignment is to keep shitty assholes from encroaching on Fishman territory, though sadly, you are discluded from that."

Crocodile smirked. "Really? I thought your assignment was to watch us and report any suspicious activity that stems outside of information gathering to your boss."

Nami shrugged indifferently, but inwardly, she seethed. There was a traitor among Fishmen Village. "Seems to me you do just fine at gathering information. I figure I won't be here long."

Crocodile gave another low chuckle. "Indeed. We are apt at gathering information. We know very much about the Cat Burglar Nami."

"You wouldn't need to do much digging to find out what you probably have," Nami dismissed, not surprised that he knew her title within the yakuza. "I live on Goza and Cocoyashi Street. My mother is Belle-mere. My sister is Nojiko. That's the basic information you would receive when I transferred here. You know who my employer is, and I just told you myself what my position was. What else is there to know?"

"Box number 1981."

Nami felt her composure slip ever so slightly for a moment before regrouping. "In Conomi Station. So what?"

"So, there's an awful lot of money in that box," Crocodile summed up. Nami held her face passive, though it was a bit difficult to swallow. "Would be a shame if it were to just disappear."

"I'd start over," she shrugged, though the idea pained her. Six years of saving would be lost.

"The point is that you won't have to," Crocodile interjected, "as long as you behave in my school. No fighting on school grounds. Period. That's all I ask."

Nami rolled her eyes. "If I am attacked, I _will_ defend myself."

"If you are attacked on school grounds, Nami- _chan_ ," Crocodile said, with an edge of menace to his voice, "you will have no need to defend yourself. I will murder anyone who disobeys my rules. And no fighting is rule number one."

Though Nami wondered what spurred the heavy objection to fighting, she scoffed. "Whatever you say."

They continued on down the hall and Nami considered the man in front of her. It was obvious he was from Baroque Works now, but the way he carried himself, the things he knew…

"You're Mr. 0," she deduced. Crocodile paused in his step momentarily. "Aren't you?"

Crocodile turned to her with such a threatening glare that Nami had to force herself not to take a step back in fear. She was determined not to show any fear to this man. The grin that had been lecherous before became full of evil intent.

"You would do well to not mention that name in this school ever again, Nami- _chan_ ," he all but growled at her. "As I said before, it would be a shame to have to kill you. Rather, it may actually be to my benefit to recruit you to my organization, when the time comes. I know you are a highly intelligent girl, and intelligence is something highly treasured in my association."

"Why would I trade the devil I know for one that I don't?" Nami asked rhetorically.

"Because I would not turn one such as yourself into a Mermaid," Crocodile answered anyway, taking a cigar from his jacket pocket and gnawing on one end. "And you must realize that if you stay with the Fishmen, that will be your fate."

"Maybe I'll get lucky and be killed first," she muttered, ignoring the fact that he was probably right. Luckily, they made it to her classroom at that moment. With one last evil grin at her, he snapped the door open, interrupting her class.

And so here she was, a few hours later, waiting for her last class of the day to finish. She probably had enough vital information to return to her employer, what with knowing the Fishmen had a leak and who the identity of Mr. 0 was. But she knew she wouldn't do it. Crocodile would be watching her these first few days and she was determined to look like she was indifferent to her assignment, though he clearly already knew what it was.

When the final bell rang, she picked up her text books and headed to the front of the class to ask Miss Nico where she needed to go to pick up her school uniforms. The two boys who had gotten detentions earlier were already at the desk being scolded by Miss Nico. Nami waited patiently for them to be done.

Miss Nico noticed her waiting and addressed her. "What may I help you with, Nami?"

"Just wondering where I need to go to pick up my uniforms," Nami spoke up, annoyed as the boy with black hair and a scar under one eye began to stare at her again. At least the green-haired boy gave her a quick look and dismissed her right away.

"Ah. You do that with Mr. Bon Clay," Miss Nico answered. She then shot a look at the dark haired boy. "Luffy will escort you to his office."

"Ara?" was the boy, Luffy's, response.

"Once you have shown Nami where the office is, you may go home," Miss Nico told him. The green-haired boy squawked in indignation.

"Wha-why does he get off easy?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Miss Nico raised a delicate eyebrow.

"Luffy refrained from paying attention in class," Miss Nico told him. "But he did not fall asleep. Therefore, his detention consists of helping another student with getting her uniforms. Besides, maybe the time spent in her presence will dispel some of the allure that holds him and he will be able to refrain from staring at her constantly."

Caught again, Luffy looked up at his teacher and smiled sheepishly, throwing one hand behind his head and scratching there.

"You, on the other hand, spent forty-three minutes sleeping through class," Miss Nico went on, addressing the green-haired boy again. "Therefore, you shall make up those forty-three minutes you spent sleeping by writing an essay on why it is essential to stay awake during class."

The green-haired boy groaned and went off to sit in a desk. Muttering the whole time, he yanked out a piece of paper and pen and began scrawling. Miss Nico sent them on their way and Nami followed Luffy, the seemingly lackadaisical boy as he walked her down the nearly empty halls.

"Shi, shi, shi, poor Zoro," the boy laughed, throwing his arms behind his head as he walked and threading his fingers. "He gets detentions for sleeping at least once a week."

Nami didn't comment. She just watched as the boy lollopped around the halls in a line that was the opposite of straight. He also rambled on about things she hardly had a care for. What person had done this and who had done that. She began to wonder if this boy would lead her to Mr. Bon Clay or just take her on a wild goose chase. The chase seemed even more likely when they ended up in front of a door that read 'Drama Department.'

Nami gave Luffy a sour look as he knocked on the door; sure he had led her to the wrong place.

"Who is it?" sing-songed a voice from behind the door. Nami gave the door a suspicious glare. Wasn't she going to see a _Mr._ Bon Clay? The voice behind the door was distinctly feminine, though low in octave.

"Luffy!" the boy called through the door. "I brought a new student."

The door popped open immediately to the most ridiculous image of a man. He was clearly a man, but he wore something of a cross between ballet clothes and…was it a swan? The makeup job was awful too. The man looked eagerly at Luffy for a moment, flashing a wide smile before turning to her.

She decided she did not like the way he frowned at her openly.

"Ah. Another girl," he mumbled dejectedly, turning in the doorway and walking back into the office. Luffy gave her a wide grin as she glared at him, about to read him the riot act for taking her to the wrong place.

"Well, come on!" snapped the man, who somehow managed to sound feminine despite his deep tones. "Come get your uniforms!"

Blinking in surprise, Nami entered the office. It was as flamboyant as the man who used it. Aptly described as the Drama Department, there were accoutrements everywhere from different genres of plays. In the far back was a closet that looked like held hundreds of costumes. Heading that way, Nami looked in to see the cross dresser leaned over several boxes that held uniforms in them. He rummaged around for a few moments before producing a pair of summer uniform tops. He scrounged for some gym uniforms as well as winter tops too.

"Why do we never get male students," the man lamented as he handed Nami the tops. Nami looked down in skepticism; the man hadn't even asked for her size. But sure enough, the uniforms were right.

"You said, another girl," Nami repeated. "You've seen my sister already?"

"Ah, yes," the man, who had to be Mr. Bon Clay, confirmed. "She was just here with your brother, Luffy."

Nami looked behind her and saw in annoyance that Luffy was in fact still there. Didn't he remember that Miss Nico said he was free to go when he showed her where the office was? Why was he still there?

"Ara?" was Luffy's response. When Nami turned to look at Mr. Bon Clay again, he was handing her several skirts. Nami saw that they were the right size as well. A little creepy. The cross dresser knew what size she was just by looking at her.

"Now, my dear," Mr. Bon Clay spoke up, "don't go growing out of these too soon. I don't have any larger sizes left."

Nami gave the man a dirty look. "What makes you think I'm going to get fat?"

Mr. Bon Clay rolled his eyes and pointed to her chest. "There is only one part of you that is likely to get 'fat' in the near future, and that is what I am warning you about. I've seen your sister, the voluptuous vixen that she is, and she's got the last uniforms in a larger size. So wait until next year to let those things grow, so I don't have to order new uniforms."

Nami glared at the man. "We're adopted. And it's not like I got a choice in the matter of whether they grow!"

Mr. Bon Clay waved her off dismissively. "No need to get bitchy. Or is it that time of the month?"

Nami would have jumped the man and killed him on the spot if it weren't for Luffy. He caught hold of her and towed her back away from Mr. Bon Clay, laughing the whole time. Mr. Bon Clay just gave her a disapproving eye.

"In case you haven't heard yet, young lady," he started, "fighting is forbidden in this school. You best thank young Luffy for stopping you from getting expelled on the first day."

Nami clenched her jaw tightly as she refrained from grabbing Luffy and flipping him off of her. She remembered the no fighting rule very clearly, and yet to claw that man's face off with her finger nails was just tempting enough that she might still do it.

"I have heard that one," she managed to say between her teeth. "I have also heard that student-teacher relationships are also forbidden, and what you said could be construed into sexual harassment."

Mr. Bon Clay laughed out loud. "If you think you can convince Crocodile-sama that I came on to you, then you have at it. I am his number two man, and he knows that no such behavior would come from me."

Nami paused. Number two man? As in Mr. 2? Nami gave him a smirk. "Oh? Just number two? Who holds the number one position?"

Mr. Bon Clay took the bait. "That undignified bastard Daz Bones. How he and that conceited bitch Paula got the number one spot…"

Nami cast aside her hostility for Mr. Bon Clay. It seemed he would become a vital part of her plans of learning the Numbers' identities in the near future. Since she had stopped struggling, Luffy had let her go. She stooped down to pick up her discarded books and uniforms. She tried out a tactic to reverse Mr. Bon Clay's negative opinion of her.

"Well, considering how gentlemanly Crocodile acts," she spoke up, tasting bile in her throat at complimenting the arrogant bastard, "I doubt that Mr. Bones is asking the female students whether or not it is their time of the month. Perhaps that has something to do with it."

Her tactic worked—sort of. Mr. Bon Clay grew livid, but not at her.

"That stony faced piece of shit is uncouth enough to do it!" Mr. Bon Clay shouted, shaking his fist in the air. "He's lucky Paula keeps cleaning up after him! Crocodile-sama deserves better from a number one!"

"Have you told Crocodile about his indiscretions?" Nami asked. "Crocodile seems like someone who would never tolerate such actions. He's too courteous for that."

Mr. Bon Clay gave her a hard look. "What are you playing at, young lady?"

It seemed her complimenting Crocodile to get on Mr. Bon Clay's good side had backfired. Nami back pedaled. "Look, if my mother finds out that there are crude perverts in this school—"

Now it was Mr. Bon Clay's turn to back pedal. "I never said anything about perverts!"

"Well a man who brings up a girl's period is obviously a pervert!" Nami yelled at him. "And you said—"

"Forget what I said!" Mr. Bon Clay yelled back. "Take your uniforms and go! Such a petulant child!"

So much for changing his opinion of her. Oh well. So she couldn't use him to find out who the other members of Baroque Works was. She'd find a different way. So she took her books and uniforms and left the Drama Department, which had never been so aptly named ever before in history.

Much to her irritation, Luffy was _still_ following her. She knew it because she could hear him snickering from behind his hand. She turned on him and held out her hand expectantly.

"Ten thousand berries," she demanded. Luffy stopped short and looked at her, confused. She explained. "For copping a feel."

Luffy still looked perplexed.

"When you held me back from beating the ever-living shit out of that cross dresser," she clarified. He still looked confused, but dug into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He looked into it and grimaced, pulling out two thousand berries.

"All I got," he told her, handing her the money. Nami snatched it from his hands and resumed walking, hoping she was heading in the right direction for the exit. Luffy followed, offering no word one way or another on whether she was taking wrong turns.

"Nami," he spoke up finally, "does 'copping a feel' mean stopping a fight?"

Nami stopped and turned to look at him, incredulous to his assumption, sure he was poking fun at her. But she was disappointed. Luffy still held the baffled look from before on his face. Apparently, he really hadn't heard the term before.

"No, it means feeling up someone's breasts or butt," she clarified. "Both of which you did when you stopped me from ripping that asshole's eyelashes out."

Luffy took on a speculative look. "So? What's the big deal? It's just skin."

Nami narrowed her eyes at the boy. He looked genuinely uncomprehending of the serious offense he had committed. Thinking back, she recalled that he had only held her from fighting, not groped her as another boy probably would have, given the opportunity. Dropping her eyes and doing a pants check, she saw he didn't even appear to be tenting at all.

He was completely unaffected by her. It was a tiny bit disappointing. Huffing in annoyance, she shoved the two thousand berries back into his hand.

"Ara? I thought I owed you money," Luffy said in confusion. Oh, this boy was as dense as a pastry. Nami resisted the urge to tell him he owed her much more substantial amounts of money, knowing he'd believe her without a second thought.

"I don't take money from the oblivious," she muttered, turning and resuming looking for the exit. "You can give me the money when you realize why what you did was wrong."

That explanation seemed to sate Luffy for the time being. He resumed following her, trying to engage her in more useless conversation.

"If you're going to chatter at me," Nami snapped, tired of his banter, "the least you can do is tell me if I'm headed in the right direction. I want out of this shitty place."

Instead of being affronted, Luffy grinned. "Sure."

What kind of half-assed answer was that? As Nami pondered the less than helpful answer, she turned a corner and bumped into someone. Her forehead knocked into his chin and she stumbled backwards, clutching her head and cursing just as foully as the boy she'd run into.

"Damn it, watch where the hell you're going," the green-haired boy, Zoro she thought, muttered as he rubbed his chin. He gave her a scathing look before turning his attention to Luffy. "You're still here?"

Luffy laughed. "Yeah. Nami's fun to hang around."

Nami curled her lip at Luffy's proclamation. "I wish I could say the same for you."

Luffy didn't look bothered by the insult. Instead he quirked his head at Zoro.

"Where were you going?" he asked the other boy.

"Home," Zoro stated. "My detention's over with."

Luffy pointed behind Zoro. "Why didn't you go out the front doors?"

Nami watched as Zoro's eyes bulged and he looked behind him. He almost looked sheepish as he took in the doors to the front of the school. Nami regarded him shrewdly.

"You get lost in your own school?" she asked, deadpanned. Zoro immediately looked on the defensive.

"That's none of your fucking business," he snapped at her. Nami shrugged, conceding the point. It really wasn't her business. So she picked up her fallen books and uniforms and headed for the doors herself. She couldn't wait to get home and get away from pesky boys who followed her and threw her attitude.

Sadly, her day did not get much better after leaving school. She was only a few blocks from school when she spotted some clowns standing on an adjacent corner from her, harassing the people who went by. Eyeing them furtively, she narrowed her eyes at the boisterous clothes they wore and the menacing makeup they sported.

These clowns belonged to the Clown Gang. A sad operation run by the half-wit Buggy. They were very obviously on Fishman turf and making a play at it. Normally, as a Messenger, she would walk across the street directly and tell them to get the hell out of Fishman Village or she'd knock them senseless. But it was still daylight out and just after school, meaning there were an abundance of witnesses.

So she kept on walking.

* * *

 **A/N:** I need a beta if anyone would like to apply.


	2. Chapter Two: Nami

**Chapter Two: Nami**

On her way to school the next day, Nami saw at least seven members of the Clown Gang. They were becoming more than a little noticeable. She wasn't going to be able to put off her duty as a Messenger any longer.

As if to punctuate that point, when she made the last turn towards school, she saw three idiots converging around a student and looking at him with ill intent. The student, a second year with sandy-colored hair and a scar over his left eye, looked ready to brawl himself, despite the no-tolerance rule for fighting that Loguetown Senior High held. Though technically, the young man was not on school property—yet. Nami sighed heavily. It was apparent that she was going to have to deliver her message, and it was going to happen right now.

"There you are, Jun-kun!" she cried loudly, gaining the attention of everyone in the area, including a few teachers. "And here I thought you'd left me behind."

She muscled through the trio of idiots and took the stunned arm of the young man who she had decided to call Jun. She had no idea what his name was, but that wasn't the point. She towed him along onto school property and towards the entrance of the school, 'accidentally' dropped her book bag on the way. When she got to the school's entrance, she shoved the second year through the doors.

"Oops, dropped my bag," she cooed sweetly, and turned around to go retrieve it. As expected, the trio of idiot Clowns had gathered around it, waiting for her. "Go on without me."

At first, Nami was doubtful that the boy was going to listen to her. He looked like he was going to tell her where she could go (whether it was to hell or to fuck herself, she didn't know). But then the first bell rang, and the area around the entrance to the school started to clear. Nami made it to her bag and stole a furtive glance behind her, seeing most the students gone and a few teachers the only ones lingering. No one was really paying attention to her, since the teachers were mostly scolding and urging the slacking students to hurry up.

Nami stooped and picked up her bag as the three idiots loomed around her. "Look. I don't have all day, so I'll make this quick. Leave this area. It's Fishman Village, and if you're caught here, your gizzards will be dinner for whoever finds you."

One of the idiots snorted. "Listen here, chickie. We're the Tightrope Walking Funan Bros, and no idle threat from some stupid girl who thinks she knows a thing or two about gangs is going to scare us."

Nami raised an eyebrow at them. Apparently, they hadn't heard of her. Usually, the sight of the red-head from the Fishman yakuza was enough to scare off any potential encroachers. "This is the only warning you'll get."

Another idiot smirked. "Oh? And what's a cutesy little girl like you gonna do about it?"

"Stick around until after school, and I'll show you exactly what I'm going to do about it," Nami offered, eyeing the surroundings. She knew she couldn't fight too near the school, lest she want to incur the wrath of Crocodile. "How about that block over there? Less witnesses."

She pointed to an alley not far from them. The third idiot chuckled.

"Sure thing, girlie. See you there. And if you chicken out—" he threatened.

"I won't chicken out," she interrupted, insulted. "Now if you'll excuse me, I don't want to be late on my second day of class."

She walked away, half expecting the idiots to follow, but she was undisturbed. She had to jog to class, though, in order to not be late. She was only two steps into the classroom when the final bell rang. With a sheepish look at Miss Nico, Nami took her seat behind Luffy.

Again, with the staring!

Luffy was turned around halfway in his seat again as Miss Nico began roll call. Nami took out a pen and paper from her book bag and harshly jabbed Luffy's side with the pen. He squawked in protest, but turned around in his seat quickly when Miss Nico asked what the problem was.

The day ended up relatively interesting, though Nami did get into trouble for spacing out. She had been taking notes and following along in the book for awhile when some movement outside the window caught her eye. The three idiots had multiplied.

Eyeing surreptitiously out the window, Nami watched throughout the day as the number of idiots waiting for her swelled from three to eleven. They didn't all stand together, but she could tell by the looks of the small groupings loitering outside of her school that they were all a part of the Clown Gang. She was eyeing the newcomers up when she was called back to attention by Miss Nico.

"Please tell me, Nami, is there something outside that renders my lesson insignificant?" Miss Nico asked lightly, though Nami could tell that woman was far from light. Whether or not she belonged to Crocodile's menagerie was still yet to be seen.

"No, nothing," Nami answered quickly. "I apologize. I was distracted by some clowns outside the school. I won't let it happen again."

Miss Nico seemed mollified by the apology, and Nami hoped it would be sufficient to keep her out of detention later. So when the final bell rang, and Nami made it out of the classroom without being further scolded, she considered herself lucky. And also unlucky.

She knew at least eleven Clowns were going to jump her today. Whether or not that number had grown since she'd been caught looking, she didn't know. She hoped not. Eleven she could handle on her own. Too many more than that would be difficult.

"Oi! Nami! Wait up!"

Nami sighed and rolled her eyes, but did not 'wait up.' She was not about to be deterred from her job for the idiot boy who kept staring at her and apparently was taking up following her around now. Or bulldozing her, since he literally ran into her in his pursuit of her.

"Watch it!" she snapped, pushing him away. She dully noted that the green-haired boy was also following, but at a much slower, disinterested pace.

"Me and Zoro are gonna go to the arcade right now," Luffy blabbed at her in a rush, pointing to the boy behind them. "Wanna come with?"

"No," she snapped. "I'm going home. I've got plenty of homework. And so do you, for that matter."

"Later," Luffy cajoled. "Do fun stuff now."

"I said no," she insisted. If she didn't disentangle herself from the boy soon, he'd be dragged into her gang fight. "Go away."

Luffy pouted. Full on stuck his lower lip out pouted. Nami was instantly irritated.

"I don't know what sort of weird fascination you have with me," Nami told him, "but you need to get over it. The staring is annoying as hell and the following me around is going to get you a fist in the face."

Luffy huffed a sigh. "I just wanna be friends."

"I don't _do_ friends," Nami spelled out for him. "So get over it."

With a final shove, Nami pushed Luffy away, since he was crowding her space and walked away. Up ahead, she saw a Clown waiting for her just beyond the school's entrance. He looked absolutely ridiculous with a fur vest and hat with…were those ears on his hat? Nami thought only pubescent girls wore those.

"Hello young missie," he greeted. "Your presence is requested at that alley over yonder."

He pointed to the alleyway that Nami had designated earlier that morning.

"I'm here to escort you," he clarified with a sneering smile. "Just in case you were thinking of backing out."

Nami snorted and walked past him. "You should be the ones backing out. I'm not a nice person when provoked."

He chortled and followed her. "You talk big."

She shrugged. "I don't just talk the talk."

"Yeah, well, your cohorts don't look all that strong," he dismissed. "I doubt any of you will put up a good fight."

"I don't have any coh—" she began, turning around to face him. She caught sight of Luffy and Zoro still following, only a few meters back. Damn it, how come they were still following her? "Quit following me, you idiots!"

Luffy cocked his head to the side in confusion. "This is the way to the arcade."

Was it? Nami had no idea. She looked around desperately, trying to find a way to get them out of the picture before she had to beat down a useless gang. She spotted an udon shop across the street and hoped she could barter some time.

"Go over there and wait for me," she instructed, pointing at the establishment. "If you do, I'll go to the arcade with you."

Luffy looked mollified, unconsciously rubbing his stomach as he spied the shop. "Okay."

Diverted, he immediately crossed the street. Zoro wasn't as quick. He gave her a long look.

"You got urgent business to take care of?" he asked, eyeing the fur-clad Clown suspiciously.

"Maybe I do," she huffed, crossing her arms.

"In an alley?" he stated, deadpanned.

"None of your damn business!" she snapped. He continued to give her a hard look for a few more seconds before shrugging and heading across the street too. She turned to the fur-clad Clown. "Like I said, I don't have any cohorts."

"Your funeral," he shrugged. They resumed walking towards the alley. When Nami turned in, she did a head count. It wasn't good. Seventeen in total, if she counted the idiot wearing the fuzzy hat with ears. The best she had managed on her own before was thirteen. She might be able to pick off a few extras, since these guys didn't look too strong, but she was pretty sure she was going to get a beating today.

"So the Fishman want us to lay off their territory," someone spoke up from the back of the group. Nami watched as the hoard of men split so she could partially see him. He was the most ridiculously dressed yet. He even had a damn red clown nose. Really? _Really?_

"You do the crime, you pay the price," Nami replied. The man came closer, and Nami realized she was talking to the leader of the gang, Buggy. Well, shit. Looks like she was in for more than just a beat down today. Though the lackey Clowns were mostly just sporting brass knuckles and muscles, Nami could tell that Buggy was carrying at least two guns on his person.

"Not a very steep price, it seems," Buggy laughed. "One slip of a girl? I could kill you with my back turned."

As if to punctuate the point, he pulled a gun into each hand from inside the breast pockets of his gaudy jacket and lazily aimed at her.

"I doubt you have a gun hidden in that book bag, my dear," he cooed. Nami saw red. _My dear._ Who the fuck was he to think he could talk to her like that? Like he was her employer?

"I don't need a gun," she replied. Tired of the stupid banter and waiting around for things to start, she took down the three closest Clowns to her, which happened to be those moronic Funan brothers or whatever. They were on the ground in seconds.

"Oh, ho, ho," Buggy chortled. "So she's a fighter. I like it."

The rest of the Clowns were starting to converge on her, but Nami kept most of her focus on Buggy. She had a feeling he was a man who'd gun her down if she left herself too open in a fight. She took down another two Clowns easily enough, but when she dealt with the next two, a shot rang out next to her head.

"Ha! I missed," Buggy cackled, apparently amused at his inability to hit his target. Nami had been right on point with her assumption.

"I told you that you had too much to drink, boss," spoke up a man standing in the shadows. All Nami could see about him between her opponents was that he had shoulder length dark green hair. "Let me slice her up."

By then, Nami had managed to take down seven of her seventeen opponents. They were still coming at her too, but the fur-head guy was guarding the alley from passersby. She didn't think she'd have to deal with him for awhile.

"If you want," Buggy accented, his features growing dark and menacing. "Since all my other men are having their asses handed to them by a little girl."

The threat in Buggy's voice made a few of the lackey's cringe. Nami was faced with redoubled efforts, instead of trying to double or triple team her like they had before, all seven came at her at once. She put the nearest two down quickly before she was run into from behind.

Sparing a quick glance, she saw the fur-hat-ears guy falling to the ground unconscious, his face a mangled mess. Someone had beaten the crap out of this lackey that was guarding the alley. Shit! Was it Crocodile's people? She was far enough from school grounds, wasn't she?

"Oops! Sorry Nami!"

Nami stuttered in fighting and even took a fist to the gut at the sound of Luffy's voice. What was that idiot doing?

"Oh, so you have reinforcements?" Buggy asked. "Go play, Cabaji."

Still working on five guys, Nami could only watch as the green-haired man named Cabaji walked towards the mouth of the alley where she knew Luffy to be. She couldn't help but notice the katana he unsheathed in his trek. Nami took down one more Clown, but she knew she wouldn't be able to help. She was starting to grow fatigued from fighting. She'd only get slower from here.

"I got this moron."

Zoro's voice? What? Not him too!

"'Kay," Luffy replied.

Another Clown down. Only three left. Nami could spare glances now, and saw that Luffy was headed her way while Zoro dodged slices from Cabaji's sword.

Another bullet whizzed by her head and Nami returned her gaze the current problem. Buggy was irritated now, seeing as he'd missed again. He lifted both barrels this time and Nami could only duck behind one of her attackers as six shots went off.

The Clown she was hiding behind fell immediately. Another whined in protest, having been shot by his boss and backed off to nurse his wound. Nami looked at her last attacker and decided she'd had just about enough of these Clowns. He went down with one mean swing to the face.

She was grabbed from behind and pulled flush against a body. A gun rose to her temple and she didn't have to guess very hard who had gotten a hold of her.

"I won't miss from this range," Buggy muttered, his breath stinking of alcohol, and Nami wondered if a bullet to the brain would hurt very much.

But Nami wasn't the only one who got distracted. The agonized cry of Cabaji stole Buggy's attention for just a moment, but it was enough for Luffy to get his hands on him. Nami couldn't see anything, but the gun dropped from Buggy's grip before he was ripped away from her. When she turned around, she saw Luffy had him in a choke hold and was throwing jabs into Buggy's kidneys.

A glance in Zoro's direction showed that Cabaji was relieved of his sword and that Zoro was proficient at using it. Well, there was nothing left for her to do but finish off the last Clown. She turned to him as he cowered against the alley wall, clutching a gunshot wound in his upper arm.

"Now, let's make sure I'm completely understood," she said quietly, walking slowly towards him. "This is Fishman Village. You are not allowed here. And if you are found here, you will become a meal to whoever finds you. And trust me, the Fish are not as nice as I am. They won't let you leave with your lives. Got it?"

The Clown nodded vigorously. "Got it! Loud and clear!"

"Good," Nami smiled, then popped him straight in the jaw. The force of the punch snapped his head back into the wall and he fell immediately.

"You're kind of brutal," Zoro commented, picking up the sheath of the sword off of the fallen body of Cabaji. He kicked him in the gut for good measure.

"That's the pot calling the kettle black," she replied. "What's with the sword?"

"It's a good sword. And it's not like he's going to be able to keep it where he's going," Zoro answered with a shrug. Well, it was true. And the sword now had Zoro's prints all over it. It would probably be better if it disappeared.

Nami turned to Luffy's fight. It was over. Buggy was a drooling mess on the ground. Luffy was leaning against the wall, panting a bit. When he looked up, he grinned.

"That was fun," he declared.

"That was dangerous!" Nami snapped, walking over to him and smacking him upside the head. "What the hell did you think you were doing? You could have been killed!"

Luffy looked at her in dejected confusion as he rubbed his head. "So could you."

"I know what I'm doing," she insisted. "You could have gotten a bullet in the face."

"We were helping," Luffy defended. "Friends do that."

"We're not friends," Nami snapped.

"Why not?" Luffy grumbled back.

Ugh. It was the worst question to ask. She had no good answers she could give him. 'Because I don't want to be' sounded lame and 'because I'm a yakuza messenger' was not an option. 'Because I don't know how to be friends' was the truth, but ultimately very sad.

"Because I've known you for like a day," she countered, having no better excuse to give. "And all you've done is annoy the hell out of me."

The pouting thing again. Ugh. It was beyond annoying.

"Well, what do I gotta do to be your friend?" Luffy asked, determined.

"Because apparently saving your ass from a beat down doesn't cut it," Zoro muttered, picking grit from under his finger nails.

"Don't be annoying," Nami groused at them. Luffy took her literally.

"Okay, got it!" Luffy declared, smacking his fist into his other hand. "Not annoying. I can do that. And then we can be friends?"

Ugh. He was never going to get it, was he? This boy just didn't know how to take no for an answer. Just how the hell was she supposed to do her job when this kid wanted to follow her around constantly? And not just him, either. Zoro seemed to go wherever Luffy went. Still, looking at the fallen figures of Cabaji and Buggy, she had to admit that they weren't so useless. Maybe, if she was careful about it, she could make this work to her advantage.

Nami sighed and flicked the boy in the forehead. "Alright. We can try and be friends. But if you prove to be to lame, I'll drop you like a bad habit."

Luffy laughed, unfazed by her stipulations. "Oi! Zoro! We have a new nakama!"

Zoro raised an eyebrow and gave a dismayed expression. Apparently, he was not overly impressed with said nakama.

"We'll see how long it lasts," he muttered, as if echoing Nami's earlier statement. Nami shrugged indifferently at him and proceeded to check the ground laden with bodies for wallets. Luffy and Zoro watched in confusion.

"What?" she asked, throwing Zoro a look as she cleaned out a wallet. "It's not like they're going to need money where they're going."

Zoro tsked, but as if to punctuate her statement, sirens could be heard on the wind, probably alerted by the gun shots. Zoro blanched.

"I gotta go," he announced, making his way down the street quickly. "See you tomorrow Luffy."

The two remaining watched as he rounded the corner of the alley, sword still in his hand.

"You should probably go too," Nami told Luffy. "If you don't want to get in trouble with the police, that is."

Luffy laughed again. "What about you?"

Nami shrugged. "I deal with them a lot. I know most of them by their first names."

Luffy cocked his head to the side. "Ara? A lot? Do you know Gramps?"

Nami frowned. His grandfather was a cop? Well, it was possible, she supposed. "Who's your grandfather?"

"Garp."

Nami's eyes bulged. "Your grandfather is Garp!? Monkey D. Garp!?"

"Yep," Luffy affirmed, laughing while scratching the back of his head. Nami stared at him for a moment, stunned, before remembering that she was trying to get rid of the idiot.

"You should leave then," she told him. "Garp won't be here, but you probably don't want it getting back to him that you were involved in a gang fight."

Luffy looked around at the limp bodies. "Gang fight?"

"Yes, Luffy," Nami sighed. "That's what this was. And if you don't want to be identified as being in a gang, you should leave."

"What about you?" Luffy asked again.

"It's fine," Nami assured him, pushing him down the alley in the same direction that Zoro had gone. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Reluctantly, the boy disappeared around the corner. Nami went back to the scene of the so-called crime and waited. She didn't have long before a squad arrived with uniformed officers. They took one look at her and went to round up the semi-conscious men that were still lying in the alley.

At a much more leisurely pace, an unmarked car arrived. Out of it stepped a decidedly rat-faced man in a long trench coat and hat. He took a look at the scene and lit up a cigarette, ignoring the rounding up of the men. He walked—no, _strolled_ —over to Nami and leaned against the building that she herself was using to support her.

"Ah, Nami-chan, you've been busy."

"Fools should know better than to try and claim territory around here," Nami replied, picking her nails. "This area is protected."

The man, who had a badge on him that identified him as Captain Nezumi, laughed. Like his rat-face, it was a unique laugh, sounding like a chi-chi-chi-chi-chi.

"Was it profitable?" Nezumi asked after he finished his little laugh.

Nami shrugged. "Not really. Less than a hundred thousand berries."

Expectantly, Nezumi held out a hand. Already anticipating it, Nami laid fifty thousand berries into his hand.

"For your trouble," she muttered, disgusted. How did a sleaze-bag like this end up in the same police department as Garp?

"Always a pleasure, Miss Nami," Nezumi called after her as she turned and walked away. She had to get home soon and she still needed to buy groceries.

Nami knew one day this was going to catch up to her. She couldn't keep up the lying without getting caught. She'd fished nearly four hundred thousand berries out of the men who had been so foolish enough to challenge her. She'd told Nezumi that she'd gotten only one fourth of that because the other half of the money she gave to Nezumi was supposed to go to her employer. Her employer who never paid her. So she had to make money somehow.

After a quick stop at Conomi station, she headed to the market place. Groceries were bought and she bartered down the prices so she spent less than five thousand berries. All in all, it was a productive day. She'd manage to stash nearly three hundred thousand berries towards buying her way out of the yakuza and moving her family away from this shitty town.

"I'm home!" she called as she stepped in the door with two bags of groceries. Silence greeted her. Her mother, Nami didn't expect to be home. But where was Nojiko?

Shrugging, Nami put away the groceries and started on dinner. Because the ingredients were cheap and the leftovers would last a few days, Nami started making a hot pot.

"I'm home!"

Nami looked towards the door to her sister Nojiko. The lavender haired girl smiled at her as she removed her shoes.

"You're late today," Nami commented, wondering what had taken her sister so long that Nami could beat her home.

"I, uh, was studying and lost track of time," Nojiko lied badly. She didn't need to study. Her grades were just as high as Nami's. Guessing that it had been a boy that had distracted her, Nami raised an eyebrow at Nojiko.

"What's his name?" Nami asked blandly.

Nojiko blushed crimson and muttered something unintelligible.

"Say what?" Nami prodded.

"His name is Ace," Nojiko spoke up, her embarrassment starting to switch to irritation. "And we were _studying_."

"Yeah, the inside of each other's mouths," Nami snorted.

"Nami!" Nojiko cried, smacking her shoulder and turning as red as a tomato. "He's my classmate! And the teacher asked me to tutor him three days a week in math."

"Are you getting paid?" Nami asked, turning back to the hot pot to stir it.

"No," Nojiko sighed. "But I do it during lunch, so I don't have to worry about it interfering with work."

"Then why were you late today?" Nami inquired.

"You're not my mother!" Nojiko hissed. "I was late because we have a test tomorrow and I needed to have a cram session with Ace. I wasn't scheduled to work today so just lay off me!"

Nami knew Nojiko well enough to know that she was very much interested in the guy she was supposed to be tutoring. Still, she'd teased her enough for today, she supposed, so she didn't resume her questioning. Nojiko sighed heavily and fell into a seat at the table.

"Who were those boys you were with today?"

Oh, so now that Nami wasn't the one questioning, that automatically left her open to be interrogated. Nami wondered when Nojiko had managed to spy Luffy and Zoro following her around. It had to be sometime after school.

"Some classmates," she answered. "Zoro and Luffy."

"Why were they following you?"

Nami rolled her eyes even though she knew that Nojiko couldn't see it. "I don't know. Luffy asked me if I wanted to go to the arcade, which I didn't. They probably didn't have anything better to do."

"Did you get into a fight?"

It was Nami's turn to sigh heavily. Taking out the electric warmer and putting it on the table, Nami moved the hot pot over to it.

"No. Well, technically, yes, but not with those boys," Nami replied. She went to the cupboard to get plates.

"Again?" Nojiko huffed. "Nami, you have to stop getting into fights! Especially at school. One of these days, Smoker isn't going to be able to get you out of trouble and you're going to get expelled."

"It wasn't as bad as you think," Nami assured her. She sat down across from her sister and handed her a plate and utensils. "I didn't even fight at school. Some guys tried to jump me in an alley on the way to the grocery store. I taught them that it was a bad idea."

Nojiko snorted. "And the two puppy dogs following you home?"

Nami rolled her eyes again. "They tried to help me, but realized that I didn't need much help."

"Much?"

Nami began picking her dinner out of the hot pot.

"There were two guys who could have given me a lot of trouble if I'd been by myself," she admitted. "But Luffy and Zoro took care of them. That's all. I swear. I don't even have a scratch on me."

That wasn't a lie. There were no scratches. However, she'd probably have her fair share of bruises tomorrow. The ones on her arms and legs, she could blame on something mundane like getting hit by a closing door or being too exuberant in gym class. The one she was sure to have on her stomach wouldn't be easy to explain, but if she just managed to not let anyone see it…

Nojiko finally gave up the interrogation and began getting her own dinner. "We shouldn't eat without Belle-mere."

"Belle-mere would yell at us if we didn't eat," Nami returned, picking up a vegetable and popping it into her mouth.

"You're damn right I would."

Both girls started and looked at the doorway to the kitchen. Belle-mere appeared, one eyebrow raised at them as if she knew something they didn't.

"I should come home from work late more often," she chuckled, taking a seat at the table as well. "It's quite informative."

Nami watched as the blood drained from Nojiko's face, and was pretty sure that her own face was the same. Just how much did she hear? Belle-mere let them squirm in silence for a few minutes before speaking.

"So his name is Ace, eh?"

Nojiko put her reddening face in her hands and Nami dropped her shoulders in defeat. She'd heard everything.

"It's just tutoring!" Nojiko yelled suddenly.

Belle-mere only smiled in return. Silence took over again for a few moments as they continued to eat.

"How many people jumped you in the alley?"

Nami tensed up. She couldn't lie to her mother. Technically, she hadn't lied to Nojiko either, but this was a point she was trying to avoid.

"Seventeen," she muttered, pushing her plate away. She was done eating anyway. Belle-mere stopped eating.

"I don't want you walking to and from school anymore," Belle-mere decided after a long, tense silence. "Tomorrow you two are buying train passes."

"We don't have the money for that!" Nami sputtered. Well, _she_ did, hidden box 1981, but that money was for something else!

"We will if we drop the house phone and the cable," Belle-mere told them. "I need the internet for work and you do for studies. I'll cut them tomorrow and you two are buying passes in the morning."

"I didn't start the fight!" Nami insisted. Belle-mere gave her a sturdy look.

"But you did finish it, didn't you?"

Nami sulked in her chair. Honestly, getting rid of the cable and house phone didn't affect her much. But there were other things that she would have preferred instead of a train pass.

"I'd rather have a cell phone," she muttered.

"See if your employer will get you one, like Nojiko's did," Belle-mere proposed. But Nami was in a mood. She didn't want to be reasonable, especially since she would _never again_ ask for anything from her employer. The price was just too steep.

"What happens if someone jumps me on the train?" Nami asked, picking up her plate and putting it in the sink. "Gonna stop letting me go to school?"

"That's enough, Nami!" Belle-mere snapped. "Go to your room. I'm sure you've got homework."

She didn't need to tell her. Nami was already half way to her room. She slammed the door and lay down on her bed, staring at the ceiling. It wasn't fair; getting punished for something she couldn't control.

"Sons of bitches," she cursed. Nami knew her life would have been much better if the yakuza never existed.

* * *

 **A/N:** Still looking for a beta. And reviews. FYI, I think I'll update about every 2 weeks or so. Until next time.


	3. Chapter Three: Nami

**Chapter Three: Nami**

"Oi! Nami!"

Nami didn't pause as she walked into the school. She was still in a foul mood from the night before. It would be cruel to take it out on someone else; even that idiot boy Luffy. She went straight to her cubby and changed out her shoes and headed toward class without acknowledging him.

She was almost bowled over by a body.

"Morning!"

Nami glared at Luffy, who had apparently run full force into her. For good measure, she shoved him away a little bit. He just grinned at her, scratching the back of his head.

"Aren't you just all sunshine and smiles this morning?"

On her other side, Zoro appeared. His voice showed no enthusiasm whatsoever. Rather, he looked like he would prefer having a nap than talk to her, let alone go to class. Nami raised her eyebrow.

"Right back at you," she muttered, resuming heading to class. Zoro snorted, but fell in step with her. Luffy was with them, but to say he was in step with them as inaccurate. He bound back and forth and couldn't remain still enough to walk in a straight line to save his life.

"I hear you're pretty chummy with the cops," Zoro commented as they took their seats in homeroom. Nami spared him an irritated look.

"I see them a lot," she replied. It was the truth, sadly.

"That could be a good or bad thing," Zoro returned. "But I'm betting on bad. Just how much do you fight?"

"More than you," she predicted. Luffy laughed.

"Nobody fights more than Zoro," he denied. "He even joined the kendo club so he could fight more."

Nami had wondered how Zoro had managed to beat Cabaji on his own. It seemed he had a little skill to begin with. Not to mention, his appreciation of Cabaji's sword. But to be so fond of fighting as to look for ways to fight more?

"Moron," Nami muttered. "I don't fight because I want to."

"Then why do you fight?" Zoro asked. Luffy looked curious too, as if the desire to fight should have been her whole reason to fight.

"Do you expect me to just sit there and get the shit beat out of me?" she returned. "I fight because I have to. And I'm good at it because I fight a lot."

The final bell rang as their teacher entered the room. Statuesque as ever, Miss Nico began with roll call. The usual school routine didn't let them talk to one another again until lunch. As usual, Nami stayed in her seat and took out her bento while Luffy and Zoro went off to buy lunch. She wasn't alone in the room, but it was pretty deserted. Her only companions were a boy with wild black hair and a long nose, and a beautiful young blonde girl.

The two sat next to each other; obviously friends. Nami glanced out the window to watch the meandering students and ate while the other two conversed. Well, the boy mostly did the talking while the blonde laughed.

"It was epic, I tell you!" the boy cried. "There I was, surrounded by seventeen men who all wanted to crack my face in. But did I panic? No! I beat every single one of their faces into the ground!"

Nami's ears perked up.

"One of them was toting a sword, and another had a pair of guns. Yet they were no match for me! In the blink of an eye, I had them all writhing in pain on the ground. And after I'd beaten them senseless, I cleaned out their wallets!"

The blonde girl laughed heartily at the story as Nami stood from her seat, abandoning her lunch and walked over to the two. She smiled down at them, her face a mask of pleasantries. The boy looked up and his eyes widened. Apparently, her little spy hadn't realized he was in the same class as her. He gulped.

"Oh, please, don't stop on my account," Nami urged him. "I was very interested in your story. Please go on."

The blonde, Kaya if Nami remembered right, was oblivious to any tension. She eagerly looked back to the black-haired boy who had an obscenely long nose, waiting for him to continue as well.

"Uh, that was it," the boy stuttered. Nami was going through the names of her classmates in her head and trying to put a name to his face. "I went home."

Nami cocked her head to the side. "Didn't the cops come? Surely with a fight that dangerous going on, someone must have called them."

He gulped again. Nami knew right then that this boy was the one who'd called the police.

"They probably did," the boy, Ussop, she thought, replied. "I was gone by then."

The hell he was. He must have seen the 'transaction' that had occurred between herself and Nezumi. She was almost sure of it.

"Still, what a dangerous situation," Nami went on. "You against seventeen men, all by yourself. You must be very strong."

"Y-yeah," he stuttered again.

"Oh, Ussop," Kaya laughed. "You tell the best stories!"

Ussop's attention was diverted back to Kaya, and he smiled stupidly at her. Nami understood that the boy had a ridiculous and obvious crush on the girl. She could be used against him, Nami knew.

"You should tell me more about this fight," Nami told him. "Maybe after school. I'd love to hear _all_ the details."

Ussop was smart enough to know he was in deep trouble. "Uh, sure."

The first bell rang then and Nami left the two to return to her seat. She had to wolf down the rest of her lunch before the others got back from lunch. She had barely finished when Luffy and Zoro plopped down in their seats adjacent from hers.

"I'm so full!" Luffy announced, patting his distended belly. Just how much did that glutton eat?

"You should be," Zoro chuckled. "You cleaned out the food cart. The upperclassmen are going to be pissed when they find out there's no food left."

Luffy laughed.

The final bell rang and classes began again. Nami felt like they were dragging by. She needed to talk to Ussop and the afternoon wouldn't pass fast enough for her. When the bell that released them finally rang, she was in a rush to shove her books back into her bag.

Eyeing her prey, Nami watched as he discreetly left the room with Kaya. Oh, he didn't think it'd be that easy to sneak away from her, did he? She was only a few steps behind him, but left the distance between them until he parted with the blonde.

She paused in the middle of the school's grounds as she watched the blonde girl get into the limo and wave to Ussop. Behind her, a butler stood waiting patiently. A tall, skinny man with black hair and glasses. Oh, what were the chances? One in a thousand? One in ten thousand?

"Oi! Nami, wait up!"

Like she was going anywhere. She was frozen where she stood, watching the limo drive away. Ussop turned around, looking properly fearful and walked back to her as Luffy and Zoro caught up with her. Nami glanced in annoyance at the unwanted duo.

"Go away. He and I need to talk," Nami ordered, gesturing to Ussop with her chin. Luffy looked put out, while Zoro just rolled his eyes and shrugged, walking away. Reluctantly, Luffy followed. They didn't go far, but at least they were out of hearing distance.

"Would you rather have groveling for forgiveness or would you prefer to just mangle my face?" Ussop asked her. Nami raised an eyebrow at him. He was so clueless. So utterly clueless.

She shouldn't do this. She should just pass on her warning and go about her damn business. She should let the boy named Ussop remain oblivious and not worry about the fate of the blonde haired girl called Kaya. As a Messenger for Fishman Village, that's what she should do.

"Walk with me," she suggested, gesturing for them to leave school grounds. She was _so_ going to regret this.

"Mangle the face it is," Ussop muttered, predicting his fate and falling in step with her.

"Your friend Kaya," Nami began. "What's her situation?"

Ussop gave her a puzzled look. "Why do you want to know?"

She shrugged. "Curious."

"Well," Ussop began, "her parents passed away about a year ago. They were unfortunate enough to be caught in a hostage situation and didn't make it out. So she's on her own, with her family's staff has been taking care of her in lieu of a guardian."

Nami remembered that story. Some random felon had been cornered in some fancy restaurant and had taken the patrons and staff hostage. It turned out that the felon was tweaking out on some very powerful drugs and began shooting up the place before police even had a chance to begin negotiations. Thirteen of the twenty-two hostages had died as a result, apparently Kaya's parents among them.

"She's rich?" Nami guessed. Ussop shrugged.

"I guess," he offered. "I've never asked how much money her family had. She's always been my friend and it's never mattered."

It was the ideal situation for someone to take advantage. All a person had to do would be to be in the right position and they'd be in the money. Say, be a butler for a rich girl who'd lost her parents…what if that rich girl suddenly died too? It wouldn't be all that surprising for the estate to be divided up among some of the favored staff, if no relatives came forth to claim it.

"She got any close relatives?" Nami asked, already knowing the answer. Ussop sighed and shook his head.

"She's on her own," he replied. "Got no one but a few of the family's old caretakers watching over her. She gets pretty lonely, all by herself. I go over whenever I can and keep her company, because I think she gets pretty sad when she's by herself."

"You like that girl," Nami stated the obvious.

Ussop tripped and sputtered. "W-What?"

Nami smiled. It was kind of adorable. A little.

"I do not like her," Ussop denied vehemently. He took on a disgruntled look and crossed his arms. It was rather amusing. Ussop sighed heavily and looked at the sky in a pathetic way. "I don't _like_ her. I'm absolutely head over heels in love with her."

Well, that was probably the truest thing he'd said all day, Nami believed. He was a simple person who didn't really seem to know about the evils that lurked in the world aside from what he saw on the evening news. She was going to take away that simplicity if she warned him. But then again, she didn't want to see another life destroyed because of the endless organized crime that ran rampant in East Blue.

"I just thought I'd warn you," she said, knowing she was sticking her nose in where it didn't belong. "That girl is in danger."

He became furious in an instant. "No! No way! Don't take your anger out on her! It was my fault! I spied on you, not her!"

He'd misunderstood her, thinking that Nami was the threat to Kaya.

"Oh, I don't intend to hurt her," she waved him off. "Or you, for that matter, as long as you don't tell your 'story' again. But like I said, I'm warning you. She's in danger. And not from me. From her own staff."

Ussop gave her a distrusting look.

"Go home and Google the Black Cat gang," Nami recommended. "You'll see what I mean if you search hard enough."

That being said, Nami parted ways with the long-nosed boy. She had to drop off a report on her current 'project' as well as her 'earnings' from the day before at the base before anyone came looking for her. As she turned the corner, she looked back briefly to see Zoro and Luffy, who had apparently been tailing her, talking to Ussop.

Well, that was fine. It made it easier for her to disappear. She took off at a fast pace down the street and turned the next corner, sprinting that as well. She ran at least seven blocks before she trusted herself to have lost them.

She had nearly an hour's walk to go. Instead of heading to the seedier parts of town, like one would expect, Nami headed to the high rise business district. No one looked there very closely for any sort of criminal activity. She made it to the right building and entered, giving one last look behind her as she did. She didn't see anyone she recognized.

The building was seventeen stories, and her employer occupied the top two floors. There was a reception desk that was apparently manned twenty-four hours a day by someone on the Fishman's payroll, but Nami passed right by it, along with the main elevator most guests used. She headed for an elevator at the back of the building that, despite any outward appearances, was heavily monitored. She pushed the call button and waited for the elevator to descend to her.

The doors opened as a chime dinged its arrival. Nami entered the car and pressed the sixteenth floor button along with a nine digit code into a numeric panel. Instantly, she began ascending. The ride was not long enough for her tastes.

"Well, well, well!" cried a deep, gargled voice as soon as the doors opened. "Look what the Cat-Thief dragged in!"

With one final sigh, Nami exited the elevator into the huge loft-like room. The entire floor was open and spacious, with her employer using the seventeenth floor for the Mermaid business. The room was decorated in fine leathers with a simple color scheme; mostly black, red, and white.

"I've come to drop of my collections," Nami announced, eyeing the room briefly before walking straight through it to the seat of her employer. "And to report that a message was successfully delivered."

Her employer laughed. "You've always been a good investment, my dear."

Nami's jaw tightened at the term of endearment. She finally made it to the large desk with an equally large chair behind it. She looked at her employer in the eye and bit back the urge to curl her lip. She put the fifty thousand berries on the desk and slid it towards him.

Her employer raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the small pile of money. "Though it seems today you are not quite as profitable as I'd like, today."

Nami shrugged. "I can go find some more shitheads to beat, if you like."

Her employer picked up the money and thumbed through it quickly. "I assume Nezumi got his take?"

Nami sighed in disgust. "Yes, that rat bastard got his money. So don't let him tell you otherwise."

"So little money from what I heard was a rather impressive gathering."

It was a statement, but also a demand for explanation.

"Buggy was a drunken, inept leader who was obviously not worth the time I spent on him," Nami replied truthfully. "I assume his move onto your turf had to do with some half-baked concept that he could make more money. But it looks like to me all he was capable of doing was bullying little middle schoolers out of their lunch money."

He laughed another gargled laugh. "So it seems."

"Like I said," Nami continued, "I can hunt up some more fucktards to beat if you like. I've seen some of the Black Cat gang around my school."

It wasn't a total lie. Technically, the Black Cat gang had been on school grounds. That butler of Kaya's was definitely part of the Black Cat gang, and had stepped onto Fishman Village. They just hadn't been there to claim territory. Yet.

Her employer considered it. "Are you sure you could handle them? I hear from my sources that you needed the aid of two others in your fight against the Clown gang."

Fuck.

"Just two assholes from my school that were under the impression that I needed help," Nami dismissed, trying to gloss over the matter. "They were mostly in my way."

"Shall I have them taken care of?"

Nami shrugged, trying to seem indifferent to the matter of the two boys' welfare. "If you want. Though one of them is apparently Garp's grandson."

Her employer straightened in his seat. "Is he now?"

Nami didn't have a response since the question had been rhetorical. She just waited for him to make a decision on the two boys' lives.

"I suppose if he keeps his nose out of our business, it will be fine," he finally consented. "But I don't want to hear about him meddling in our affairs again. It won't matter whose grandson he is."

Nami nodded in understanding. She stepped forward and handed her boss a folded piece of paper, knowing that she was pretty much done with her report of the Buggy situation and therefore onto the Numbers project. Her boss gave her a quizzical look, probably because she had taken the time to write out her findings rather than state them in front of everyone. All he had to do was look at the report to see why.

Nami was very diligent at any assignment, be it given in class or by her boss. She'd written it up during computer class instead of paying attention to the teacher. Along with covering what she had discovered regarding the identities of the Baroque Works operatives, Nami had provided pictures. She had 'borrowed' Nojiko's cell phone this morning and taken pictures of the Officers she knew the names of, as well as those she suspected as operatives. Four known associates and three suspected members. But the cream of the crop was the last lines in the report.

 _Mr. 0 knew of the exact details of my assignment before I even entered the school. I was confronted about it directly. You have a traitor in your midst._

Her employer's eyes narrowed to slits as he read that. He spared her a glance, asking for confirmation that what was written was true. Nami nodded slowly. With a sigh of disgust, her boss promptly shredded the report. He waved his hand dismissively at her.

"Keep me informed on the Black Cat situation," he instructed. She gave him a nod and turned to leave.

"Yes, boss."

.o0o.

Nami hated taking the train to school. It was too crowded. She much preferred walking, but she didn't doubt that her mother would follow her to school just to make sure she was using the train pass, so she didn't. It also didn't help her case that she had also boycotted dinner last night in protest of the newly acquired train pass.

Disembarking from the train, Nami followed some of the crowd as they exited the train. She still had a two block walk to school and she saw some uniforms she recognized. Not that she'd walk with them. Nami preferred to be alone. It was easier that way.

"Oi! Nami!"

Damn it. Was he going to greet her that way every morning? Nami glared over her shoulder at Luffy as he bounded toward her. At least he didn't run into her today.

"Where did you go yesterday?" he asked as he caught up. "Zoro and I looked for you everywhere. And why were you talking to Ussop?"

"None of your business," she muttered, stalking towards school. Luffy seemed oblivious to her negative mood.

"He's pretty funny. He tells some good stories, too," Luffy praised. "He told me and Zoro this one about when he was on his way home from school and this gang approached him and told him that he was on their turf and needed to pay this trespassing fee and he—"

"Where's Zoro?" Nami interrupted. She didn't really care about the green-haired boy's whereabouts, but she didn't need Luffy talking about trespassing fees in front of the whole school. It would just make things harder for her.

"Eh? Oh he's already at school. Kendo club starts early," Luffy explained, easily distracted. "They get there even before the sun comes up."

While listening as Luffy prattled on about other random things like his grandfather or his brother, Nami looked around for Ussop. She hoped he had done as she had instructed and did some internet research the night before. She was distracted by the sharp sound of a slap.

Turning towards the sound, Nami saw it was in fact Ussop. He was standing together with Kaya in a corner of the school yard, secluded from others. As Ussop had a hand on his cheek, Nami guessed he was the recipient, and by the look on Kaya's face, she was the deliverer.

"How could you say such a thing!" Kaya cried. "How could you even—you're wrong! They would never do that! You're lying!"

"I swear on my life that this time I'm not lying," Ussop replied, but it was in vain. Kaya was rushing away from him towards the school. Voices kicked up and started tittering to each other about the altercation. Nami walked over to Ussop, who was staring after Kaya with a stressed look on his face.

"I take it the big reveal didn't go well," she guessed. Ussop looked at her and his face became furious.

"You! You have to tell her! She won't believe me," Ussop demanded, oblivious to the scene he was causing. Nami raised an eyebrow at him.

"What makes you think she'll believe me?" Nami retorted, crossing her arms. "I've gone to this school for a grand total of four days. She and I don't know each other beyond first names."

"Girls believe other girls," Ussop explained as if it were a scientifically proven truth. Nami rolled her eyes.

"It's not that simple, moron," Nami hissed. "I'm a stranger; you're her friend. If she was going to believe someone, it was probably going to be you."

Ussop took a moment to digest her words. He gave her a sour look. "So you figured she wouldn't believe me. Thanks for the heads up."

"It was a possibility," Nami shrugged. "Now the question is, what are you going to do about it?"

Ussop looked lost. "Me?"

"Yes, you," Nami snapped. "Who else is going to protect that girl?"

Ussop looked panicked. "I can't go against them by myself."

"Well, your other choice is to wait until something happens to that girl," Nami told him. "And it's not _if_. It's _when_."

Ussop gave her a sharp look. "How do you know?"

Nami shrugged. "Call it a hunch. Do you think that man has just given up and turned over a new leaf?"

Ussop remained silent.

"You think he's just gonna let that girl's money be?" she goaded further. "You think her parents died on accident?"

Ussop became more and more upset with each question. Finally he could take it no more.

"I get it!" he snapped. He turned to walk away. "I guess I'll try talking to her again."

Nami let him go ahead of her a few paces before following behind. After all, they were going to the same place. It was when she heard shuffling behind her that Nami realized that Luffy was still following her. Damn it, did that idiot really just hear the whole conversation?

Luffy grinned at her when she looked over her shoulder at him. Maybe he hadn't heard?

The sound of another slap was their greeting into the classroom. This time Ussop held the other cheek and looked utterly dismayed at Kaya, who stood fuming before him with tears streaming down her cheeks. She bolted out of the classroom and headed down the hall, wiping furiously at her face.

Ussop sighed in defeat and slumped down into his chair. Nami pitied the boy; he was going to be in for a lot of slaps in the near future. She took her own seat and noticed Zoro already sitting, giving her the stink eye.

"What'd you do to that poor kid?" he muttered, jutting his chin at Ussop. Nami just shook her head as she sat down.

Class was boring. Horrifically boring. Nami was pretty good at school. She didn't need to study for tests and only did the homework because it was easy. But easy was also boring. So Nami began to let her mind wander. She daydreamed in and out of the first half of classes until lunch. When she was alone again in the classroom, she sighed and got up from her seat and went to the computer labs. Generally, they were not open during lunch, but Nami had too long been able to break into locked doors for that to stop her. By the end of lunch, she had accomplished her goal.

The second half of classes was slightly more entertaining than the morning. Nami watched as Kaya reentered the classroom. She'd been gone all morning, and Nami wondered if she'd gone home, but had bartered that she hadn't. It was a bet that Nami won, since Kaya walked to her desk while studiously ignoring Ussop. Nami watched as Kaya pulled her books out of her bag and pulled out a pen and paper, preparing to take notes in their afternoon class.

Miss Nico came in and brought the room to order. She lowered the projection screen and booted up her computer. Nami watched with a smirk on her face as the computer's home screen appeared on the projection screen. When Miss Nico opened the lesson plan, the room gasped.

On the screen were a brief article and a black and white mug shot from several years ago of the leader of the Black Cat gang: Kuro Cat. The loudest gasp was obviously from Kaya, who could not look away from the knowledge that had been pushed onto her. The same face as the butler that had picked her up from school yesterday, as well as probably dropped her off this morning, stared disinterestedly back at her from the mug shot. Ussop turned in his seat and looked back at Nami in wonder.

She shrugged at him.

"Oh my," Miss Nico said. "Forgive me, class. It seems our lesson plan has been hacked."

While students murmured in wonder, the image disappeared. Miss Nico was very good at decrypting the hacking; Nami had hoped the image would remain up long enough for Kaya to read the entire article. No matter. The girl had seen it now; there was no turning back.

That was the excitement of the afternoon. The rest of it was boring again. Nami sporadically took notes as to not raise Miss Nico's suspicions. Finally, when the afternoon was over, and Nami watched as Kaya rushed from her seat with her head down. Ussop, surprisingly, did not try to follow her. Instead, he waited for Nami to make it to the door of the classroom.

"How did you…" Ussop trailed off, falling in step with her.

"We should walk home together," Nami suggested. "Or rather, to your house."

Ussop cocked his head to the side. "My house?"

"Do you have food?" Luffy asked eagerly. Nami almost growled at the fact that he and Zoro were following her again.

"Eh?" was Ussop's response. Still, they walked slowly towards Ussop's house, chatting animatedly. Nami kept careful watch out as they walked. Only once did she spot someone following them. From the make and model of the car, Nami doubted it was anyone involved with her employer.

Ussop's mother was ecstatic to welcome them into her home. She made an overabundance of snacks for them, though Luffy devoured most of them at an alarming pace. Soon, the four of them were sitting in Ussop's room when a lull fell upon the conversation.

"So what was with the theatrics today?" Zoro piped up, looking at her. Nami was surprised that he had deduced that she was behind it. Luffy and Ussop's attention turned to her as well.

"Just a little extra credit," Nami shrugged. Ussop was not satisfied with that answer.

"Why did you help me?" he asked. Nami sighed.

"Maybe I did it for me," Nami posed. "Maybe I want a little reward for turning her onto those crooks."

Zoro sighed in exasperation. "Sounds about right."

Luffy chuckled but Ussop still didn't look convinced.

"Then why did you come here?"

Nami closed her eyes and turned towards the window. When she opened her eyes, she saw the same car from earlier strolling by at a slow pace.

"Because you don't know what you're getting yourself into," Nami admitted. "And that's partially my fault."

"Partially?" Zoro muttered. She ignored him.

"The Black Cat gang aren't small time hoodlums like the assholes from the other day," Nami told them. "They are the real deal. I wasn't kidding. I don't think that girl's parents died on accident. I think this was long planned out. And you're going to deal with the repercussions of bringing that to light."

"Re-repercussions?" Ussop repeated.

"Don't go anywhere by yourself," Nami listed off. "Take alternate routes to school. Don't talk about the Black Cat gang in front of other people."

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because unless you can fight off seventeen people like you told Kaya," Nami replied, "you're going to get the hell beat out of you."

That said, she stood from her seat and moved towards the door.

"I have to get home," she told them. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Nami thanked Ussop's mother and headed out of the house and down the street towards the train station. As she walked, the same car as before rolled past her again. Nami rolled her eyes as she heard it come to a stop. Soon she heard car doors and footsteps behind her.

"Hey there little missy."

Nami turned and looked expectantly at the three men who had triangulated on her.

"Well, aren't you a looker."

"Can I help you gentlemen?" she asked, in her best fake-polite tone.

"Heh, you betcha. You look good enough to eat."

Nami smiled banally at them.

"That boy you were hanging out with before," said one. "You good friends with that boy?"

"Not really," Nami answered truthfully.

"Well then it's your unlucky day," said a second.

"Hardly," Nami spat.

"You don't get it, honey," chuckled a third. "You're going to be a message for that boy."

"I've got a message for you, instead," Nami told them. She attacked without a moment's hesitation. They were surprised, which gave her an advantage. Not that she needed one with these halfwits. Soon they were on the ground holding various body parts.

"You're in the Fishman's Village," she spat at them. "Do good to remember that in the future, lest you start a turf war."

She was pretty damn sure that her message was understood.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hoping everyone is enjoying this story. A very precious few have reviewed to tell me so. As usual, the next chapter will be up in about 2 weeks.


	4. Chapter Four: Nami

**Chapter Four: Nami**

Finally, it was Friday. Nami tried to keep that thought in mind as she rode the train to school again. And much to her dismay, Luffy was waiting for her as she exited the train. He regaled her with stories from the night before and followed her the last two blocks to school.

Nami was pleased at least to see that Ussop had made it unscathed. He was waiting for them as they approached the school's grounds. By the way he twitched, he had something to tell them.

"I was followed on my way to school," he burst out as soon as they were close.

"I thought that might happen," Nami replied. "That's why I told you to walk in group."

She turned to Luffy and smacked him in the back of the head.

"You should be walking him to school, not me," she admonished. "Walk with him from now on."

Luffy pouted, but did not argue. The three of them walked into class and were surprised to see Miss Nico already there. She waited for them to enter before walking directly to Ussop and handing him a note.

"I received this a few minutes ago," she told him. "You are excused from the day's classes."

Ussop read the note and bolted out of the classroom. He sprinted down the halls despite two different teachers telling him not to run. Nami looked at her teacher for an explanation.

"It seems that Ussop's mother has suddenly fallen ill," Miss Nico explained. "We received a call that she was rushed to the hospital shortly after appearing at work."

Nami closed her eyes in exasperation. "Damn it."

She dropped her bag and ran after Ussop. The fool! It was clearly a lie! They were trying to separate him from others so they could attack him. Nami ran through the gates of the school and looked back and forth for a moment before turning to the left. The hospital nearest to where Ussop lived was the Flevance Clinic. She headed in that direction, hoping Ussop's mother didn't work far from where she lived.

She only got two blocks before she found them. Ussop was on the ground, being kicked by at least seven men. One man stood watching, leaning against a car. He smiled, amused at the yelps of pain coming from Ussop. Nami watched as he pulled a knife from his jacket lapel.

'How dare they!' Nami thought. 'This area is still considered Fishman Village.'

Two of the attackers picked up Ussop and held his limp body at attention. Nami barely made it to the grouping as the man in the sunglasses lunged forward, knife raised.

Blood spattered everywhere. The man in the sunglasses lost his smile as he regarded her.

"I will only say this once more," Nami ground out as she stood before him, hand splayed as it was punctured through the palm with the knife. "Next time, it will be war. Stay off of Fishman Village."

For good measure, she yanked on her hand with the knife in it, pulling the knife from the grip of the startled man in the sunglasses.

"Take these pieces of shit with you," she spat. "If I see them here again, I won't hesitate to go to my employer."

The man smiled again and bowed politely. With a terse nod, the men dropped Ussop and piled into the two cars parked on the side of the street. Nami waited until they'd driven off and gone around the corner before she turned to Ussop.

"You alive?" she asked, taking stock of the knife embedded in her hand. It hurt like a mother fucker, but that wasn't her big problem. Her big problem was that there was going to be no denying this. She was going to be in deep shit when she got home.

Ussop coughed. "Yeah."

"Good. Get up," she said, leaning down to help him up with her good hand. "We're going to the police station."

Ussop dragged himself to his feet. Admittedly, he looked pretty bad. Nami debated for a moment about actually taking him to the hospital.

"K—Kaya," Ussop stuttered, looking behind Nami. She turned to see the blonde behind them, awestruck at the scene. There were tears in her eyes as she looked at them.

"Ussop," she whispered, her voice trembling. Nami sighed, waiting for the two love birds to do something besides stare at each other forlornly. "Did this happen because of me?"

Nami blinked. Well, that was refreshing. She expected the blonde to cry and gripe and moan about Ussop being stupid and lying to her again. But it appeared that she now believed. Small miracle.

"You should come with us," Nami recommended. Kaya looked at her hesitantly. "We're going to the police station. You can file a restraining order there."

"A restraining order?" Kaya repeated.

"If you really believe this is because of you," Nami went on, "then you know why this happened. It's because you confronted Kuro, didn't you?"

Kaya looked away. "I…I was sure Kuro-san would have an explanation for why he looked so much like the man in the mug shot. But he only asked me who had told such things. He never even denied it. And then he insisted that I not go to school today."

Nami smiled. Kaya had a little defiance in her. She was clearly in her school uniform and on her way to school, though obviously late and on foot instead of in her limousine. Kuro had stabbed himself in the foot, per se, and begun his own demise.

"Then you should file a restraining order," Nami advised. "You don't want to go home to a man like that after defying him."

Kaya paled.

"Oi, oi," Ussop wheezed. "You're scaring her."

"She needs to be scared," Nami shrugged. "Let's go."

The three of them made their way slowly to the police station. It wasn't usual for three high schoolers to be entering the police station in the middle of the day, so they attracted quite a bit of attention. Nami went to the officer at the main desk.

"I'd like to report a crime," Nami stated to the man. He stuttered a little bit.

"A crime?" he repeated, glancing between the three of them and smirking. "What, did your boyfriend there two-time you with that chick or something?"

Nami picked up her hand and slammed the back of it into the desk, lodging the sharp tip of the knife into the wood. The man's eyes widened and his grin faded.

"An attack," Nami informed him. "You can fingerprint the blade if you like. No one's touched it since I was stabbed."

Blood was gathering on the desk in a pool, but she got the desired response. Several men came over and while gloved, removed the blade from her hand and the desk. They took it off to be fingerprinted while Nami was given some bandages to staunch the blood from the wound on her hand. When she was done, she motioned Ussop and Kaya over to fill out reports with her.

Ussop and Kaya filled out their forms while a very nervous looking man came over to talk to her. Nami didn't think she remembered this one's name, but it didn't matter. All of the men in this station were under Nezumi's command.

"The, uh, fingerprints on the knife came back with a match," he stumbled. "It is for Jango the Mercenary."

Nami shrugged. "So?"

"So, you were attacked by the second deadliest man in the Black Cat gang!" the man burst out. "You shouldn't be alive, let alone making a police report."

Nami was unfazed. "So, what? Go arrest him."

The man paled and shifted uneasily. Nami raised an eyebrow. She recognized this behavior.

Well, this was an interesting development. It appeared that Nezumi wasn't only on her employer's payroll.

A little more than irritated, Nami stood and went over to Ussop and Kaya. She took the reports out of their hands and threw them in the trash.

"Oi, Nami—"

"Let's go," Nami hissed. "We'll get no help from the police."

There were few places they could go and receive genuine help. Nami pondered for a moment before taking them towards her mother's work.

.o0o.

"You are grounded until the end of college!"

Nami rolled her eyes. Her mother could be so over dramatic. She looked to Smoker for help, but he was busy with Ussop and Kaya, taking their statements or something. Maybe he was just avoiding her gaze as to not be drawn into the conversation and therefore not be subjected to her mother's rage. Who knows?

"I can't believe you ditched school to get into a fight!" Belle-mere went on, winding new bandages onto Nami's hand. "We're going to have to take you to the hospital to get stitches. Damn it, do you understand how much trouble you are in?"

Nami looked at her mother, judging whether or not she was supposed to answer that question.

"What was I supposed to do?" Nami replied, figuring this would be the only time she would be able to get a word in edgewise. "Let them continue to beat the crap out of Ussop? To stab him?"

Belle-mere curled her lip. "Why were you ditching school?"

"I was worried about Ussop," she admitted. She knew it wasn't enough of an explanation, so she embellished a little. "He's my friend."

That, Belle-mere had a harder time countering. "Your worrying almost got you killed."

Nami sighed, looking at the floor. Her mother had no idea how close Nami had come to death long before this day. Nor was she going to point that out.

"But I'm glad you were there to help your friend," Belle-mere finally said, laying a hand on Nami's shoulder. "And I'm glad you brought your friends to us. You say the police did nothing?"

"They were afraid to do something," Nami reiterated. "It felt wrong. So I left."

Belle-mere nodded and shared a look with Smoker. "Miss Kaya can stay with us tonight."

"I will take you home, Ussop, and speak with your mother," Smoker announced. "And you will not go to school tomorrow. Neither will you two."

He pointed to the two girls.

"No one is going to get a hold of you three," he swore. "I'm going to go see my old comrades at the force tonight. There will be no locals in on this raid."

But Nami knew that when they went to Kaya's estate, there would be no Black Cat members there.

.o0o.

After three days, Nami was allowed to go back to school. It was against Belle-mere's wishes, but when Smoker had approached her on the matter, she'd caved. Smoker had no choice but to use Nami and Ussop as bait, but they would be guarded by none other than Garp himself.

True to form, Garp pulled up to her house with his grandson in tow. Luffy bound out of the car and rushed up to her house, bursting in before she had the time to open the door. He laughed and scratched the back of his head.

"Where have you been?" he asked, giving Kaya a wave.

"Here, obviously," she answered, knowing he must have been informed on why she'd been missing school by his grandfather. "Let's go."

She didn't wait for Luffy's answer. She dragged the boy out to the waiting car. In it was the man she had heard about, Garp. He had the same wide grin as his grandson as she climbed into the car.

"So you're the girl my grandson won't shut up about," he greeted, driving down the street.

"I guess," she muttered, glaring at Luffy.

"He says you're pretty good at fighting," Garp conversed. "That you bested fifteen men on your own."

Nami was seething. That was something that didn't need to get around.

"Technically, it was fourteen," she amended, since Luffy had been the one to take down the weirdo in the fur hat with ears.

"So how did you manage to run head long into a group of eight and come out of it with a knife in your hand?" he asked.

"The people you try to protect get in the way of fighting back sometimes," Nami answered truthfully. "I could have beaten all of them, if I didn't have to worry about Ussop."

"And what did you say that stopped them from beating you as brutally as they beat him?" Garp inquired. "It must have been something."

"I said I'd scream real loud," she lied. "I would attract unwanted attention."

Garp snorted, unconvinced. "You shouldn't lie to your elders."

Nami snorted too. Still, he let the subject drop until they got to school.

"You see anyone you know?" Garp asked. Nami knew he did not mean the students.

"No," she answered. "But I doubt they'd be stupid enough to come to school. Too many witnesses. How was Ussop getting to school today?"

Garp eyed her in the rear view mirror. "He was going to walk, followed by two of my men. I also have eight men scattered across the five blocks to his house."

"You're being pretty high handed with his life," Nami commented. Garp shrugged as he sighed.

"I trust my men to watch over that boy," Garp told her. "Each one of them is devoted to me, and if I tell them to put their lives on the line for that boy, I know that they won't hesitate."

"We'll see," was Nami's response. One of the first things she'd learned when she'd begun working for her employer was that there were no absolutes. Garp may have been sure that when he gave the order to protect Ussop that his men were loyal, but he couldn't be sure that nothing could buy them after. Everyone had their price.

She got out of the car, followed by Luffy. Together they made their way into the school. Zoro met up with them as they entered class. Seeing as he didn't bother to comment on hers or Ussop's absence over the last few days, Nami figured he'd been filled in by Luffy. The three of them sat at their desks and an ominous silence filled the air around them. Ussop did not show up to class.

"I'm leaving after first period," Nami told them in a whisper as Miss Nico took roll call. "You really shouldn't follow me; you'll probably just get yourselves killed. But they're not going to show here. Nor are they going to follow me home. They already know where to hit that will cause the most damage."

Zoro lowered his chin to his chest. "They're at Ussop's house."

Luffy abruptly stood. Nami grabbed his arm and tugged hard, pulling him back to his seat. Miss Nico raised her eyebrow at the behavior, but didn't comment and went back to taking attendance.

"Idiot! Your grandfather is still out there," she hissed, jerking her thumb at the window. "If we leave now, they'll know. And we can't take anyone with us to the house. These men don't play games. They will kill Ussop and his mother too if she's home."

Reluctantly, Luffy stopped struggling. First period was slow to say the least, and when the bell rang, three stood and marched out of class like a death squad. Miss Nico watched them go, only stopping them when they were out in the halls.

"Shall I send the school doctor after you?" she asked. Somehow, the woman had picked up on the fact that they were about to do something hazardous to their health. "Though I presume you are going to leave school grounds."

"Might not be a bad idea," Nami answered, pondering the woman's position in Baroque Works. She had to be one of the Officers. She was too intuitive and skilled in things no normal teacher would be.

When they reached the front doors of the school, she was relieved to see that Garp was no longer guarding the entrance. She had no idea where he'd gone, but it was likely some of his men were watching the school. They'd have to be quick. The three of them walked swiftly to Ussop's house, only pausing at the gate. It was eerily quiet.

"Anyone want to back out?" Zoro asked. In response, Luffy opened the gate and walked towards the door. As if to give a sign of how the fight was to go, he raised a fist and slammed it into the door. The door's hinges buckled instantly.

Nami shook her head in dismay. It wasn't like she had intended on trying to sneak in, but this was a little more aggressive than she'd planned.

"Oi! Where's Ussop?" Luffy yelled, stepping into the house. Zoro followed and Nami sighed as she went third. The house was slightly dark; the shades had been drawn on every window. She had to squint for a moment to allow her eyes to adjust.

"Welcome."

The smooth voice that had spoken up came from the left. But Nami was not fooled. She'd been in too many confrontations to know never to go for the obvious. Her two companions, not so much. They immediately walked into the room to face whatever foe was there. A little too late, Nami wondered if she should have let them come along. Though they were good in a fight, they had no clue how bad things could get.

Nami had not been idle for three days at home. She'd dug for information of the Black Cat gang. The internet had mostly been useless, only being able to provide information on the members of the gang that had been on the roster three years ago. Kuro Cat, the leader, Jango the Mercenary, and two hit men named Sham and Buchi.

The rest of the information she'd dug up in Smoker's office. While she and Kaya were stuck sitting around the office all day, Nami had offered to 'help' Smoker by filing some of his paper work. The man had agreed and given Nami access to the entire filing room. It proved lucrative.

Smoker was well informed for a simple prosecution attorney. She found out that there were seventeen men suspected to be a part of the Black Cat gang, not including the original four members. That meant that there were probably at least twenty one men in the house with them at the moment, but possibly more. If Kuro had bought off any of Garp's men, that meant there could be upwards of thirty one men.

It was more than twice as many as she was confident in dealing with on her own.

True, she had Luffy and Zoro, but these also weren't small time hoodlums either. A loud crash alerted Nami that the fighting had begun in the other room. She hung back in the hall, waiting for the others to converge.

Down the stairs came Sham and Buchi. They smiled when they saw her, chuckling under their breath.

"Lookie what we have here," Sham said. "A pretty little Fish, I hear. I wonder if we have a true Mermaid on our hands."

Nami curled a lip in disgust. Her employer's men were called 'Fish' by rival gangs, but the term 'Mermaid' was designated for the whores of the yakuza.

"Believe it or not, I'm called the Cat Thief," Nami told him. "I steal men's hearts right out of their chests."

More crashing from the other room. It distracted the two briefly.

"Then you're in the wrong gang, honey," Sham returned. "A pretty little cat like you should be in the Black Cat gang."

Nami was deadpanned. "I'll pass."

"Besides," he went on, shrugging at her dismissal of invitation, "the one who steals hearts from people's chests is the Surgeon of Death, not the Cat Thief, baby."

Nami shrugged too. "I also steal people's reputations."

Zoro appeared in the hallway behind the two men. He looked slightly ruffed up, but fine. Apparently, he was confident that Luffy could handle whatever was going on in the other room.

"What's all this?" he asked as another loud crash sounded. Men groaning in pain could be heard now too.

"Presents from upstairs," Nami replied. "Want to share?"

Zoro smirked. "I don't share. I'll take both."

Nami shrugged, watching the two men turn to face Zoro. Apparently, she wasn't considered that dangerous. Morons.

Within a blink of an eye, Nami had lifted every weapon they had on them and slipped by to head up the stairs. She knew there were more men up there; she could hear their footsteps clunking around. Using her newly acquired weapons, two pairs of clawed gloves and several knives, along with some good old fashioned street style fighting, she had anyone who appeared in her sights lying in a bloody pulp on the ground.

Counting up the bodies, Nami came up with twelve. Sham and Buchi made fourteen. She had no idea how many had been in the room Luffy had gone into. Still, she made sure the second floor was clear before heading back down the stairs. Sham and Buchi were on the floor in a mess of their own, beaten unconscious. She had to admit to herself that Zoro wasn't a half bad fighter.

Glancing in the kitchen, Nami didn't see anyone, so she went to the room she had yet to enter. It was pretty gruesome.

Four men were on the ground and obviously done. Luffy was fighting someone in the corner. He didn't look too hot in terms of health, but he was also winning the fight. Zoro was taking on Jango on the other side of the room, using a lead pipe of all things like a sword as he fought the Mercenary and his many knives.

Finally, Nami saw Ussop. The poor kid looked terrible and not surprisingly, unconscious as he lay next to a string of ten men, all bound and beaten similarly. So there were Garp's men. Still, Ussop looked the worst, so she went to him immediately, checking him over for wounds. There were plenty, but most of them weren't too serious. The worst of them looked to be his poor nose, which was bent two different ways. She attempted staunch some of the bleeding, which was a trick while still wearing the clawed gloves, as she waited for Zoro and Luffy to finish with their opponents.

She was knocked clear across the room into the wall. The blow had been swift and unexpected; whoever had done it was not the typical goon who frequented a gang. She clutched at her right arm, which had taken the blow as she looked up at her assailant.

Kuro the Black Cat. She should have known.

On silent feet, he walked over to her with a calm assurance and a long two-by-four in his hand. Nami had no doubt that he knew who she was just as clearly as she did him.

"What, no threats about this being Fishman Village?" his smooth voice asked. His had been the voice that led Luffy into the room to fight at the start. Nami wondered where he'd hid to watch the show. He slowly approached, stopping a few steps away from her. She struggled to her feet, using the wall behind her as a brace. "Shall I let you call your employer to tell him what is happening here? Or possibly you think it unwise to tell your employer about your involvement with Garp?"

Nami remained silent. No, her employer was coming nowhere near this fight. Not unless she wanted to die herself.

"Perhaps I shall be the one to send a message today," Kuro posed. He raised his left hand and Nami saw clawed gloves on his hands, similar to the ones she had on hers. He made a slash at her and she moved to parry with her own gloves.

Pain caused her legs to cripple as the two-by-four in his right hand connected with her thigh. She was crumpled on the floor when the claws came at her again. She did manage to block them mostly, until the right hand came at her as well, the two-by-four apparently abandoned.

She felt searing lines of pain slash across her neck and chest, thankfully not too deep. She was squirming along the floor to get away from the man, but he merely covered the distance in a few steps.

"Tell your employer that I do not intend to invade his so-called Village," Kuro told her. "That as soon as I have finished with my business with that brat Kaya, I will leave this town for good."

"You'd better kill me so I don't tell him," Nami snarled. "He finds out you did this, it won't matter where you go. He'll find you and pay you back in full. And then some."

Kuro smiled. "I was willing to leave you alive, but if you're so interested in dying…"

He raised both hands to strike at her again. Nami knew that she wouldn't be able to deflect both claws. Still, she wasn't about to cringe and hide from this man. She stared him down, eyes filled with hatred.

Imagine her surprise when a pipe flew across the room and hit the man in the head.

It wasn't a clean blow; the pipe merely grazed one side of his head. But it was enough to grab his attention. Nami risked a glance in the direction of the assault and saw both Luffy and Zoro done with their opponents.

Luffy cracked his knuckles while Zoro split with him, walking to the other side of the room so that Kuro was between them. Kuro looked at the two of them in amusement.

"So I have the honor to be double teamed?" Kuro deduced. "How quaint. It's been a few years since I did this last; it may take a few minutes for me to get back into my groove."

Not in the mood for chatting, Luffy and Zoro charged. Nami watched as the two adolescent boys went against the leader of the Black Cat gang. It was brutal. Neither boy on his own was a match, and together, they barely kept up. Nami watched in frustration as Kuro easily dominated the fight between them and many bloody cuts appeared on the boys.

The sound of a car pulling up distracted Nami from the fight. She had no idea who it was; it had been nearly an half an hour since they left school, it could be Garp or it could be Kuro's reinforcements. Not wanting it to be the latter, Nami pulled herself to the lead pipe and picked it up, wanting something to defend herself with if needed.

It wasn't needed. Garp strolled into the room and took in the sight. His presence alone was enough to cause the fight to briefly pause as the opponents assessed the newcomer.

"We meet again, Garp," Kuro panted lightly. In contrast to him, Zoro and Luffy sounded like marathon runners trying to reclaim their breaths.

Garp ignored the gangster. "This is pathetic. Two of you against one and you're unable to take him down? What a joke. Should I let this ruffian walk right past me out of the door and walk away? Would be fitting considering my own grandson can't seem to lay a hand on him."

"Shut up, Gramps!" Luffy snapped.

"Grandson?" Kuro repeated, amused. "What a lovely joke."

"Didn't you tell me you were strong enough to protect your friends?" Garp taunted. "Didn't you say you wouldn't let anything happen to them? Look at your friends, brat. They're half alive and you can't do a damn thing but barely hold yourself up on your own two feet. How are you supposed to protect anything like that?"

"Shut up!" Luffy fumed.

"I will not shut up," Garp refused. "I will not listen to such a disgrace of a grandson—"

Nami watched, dumbfounded, as Luffy turned away from his fight with Kuro to raise his fist at Garp. Her look turned to horror as Kuro grinned and raised a clawed hand at Luffy's unprotected back. And Garp just stood there, watching, that irritating grin on his face.

Zoro was pretty quick, despite his injuries. He was at Luffy's back in a moment, but only had the time to raise an arm in deflection. The claws ripped down his arm deeply, and Nami swore she could see bone.

Luffy looked behind him with what could only be called murderous intent as Zoro took the blow. Zoro must have lost his footing from the impact because he went down to his knees. Luffy, arm still raised to punch Garp, twisted around again and grabbed Kuro by the jacket lapels. With a swift jerk, Luffy pulled Kuro towards him and head butted him.

Kuro had been unprepared for such an attack, it seemed. He was unable to deflect or form his own attack before his head collided with Luffy's. His head snapped backwards in what had to be an unhealthy way; his glasses cracking and falling away from his face as the force of the blow propelled him backwards a few steps.

He didn't even regain his balance. A fist hit him square in the jaw and took him face down to the ground. Kuro lay there for a moment, unmoving, before pushing his hands under him to stand again.

"Stay down!" Luffy yelled, slamming his foot into the back of the gangster. He then returned his attention to his grandfather. "I told you I can protect them!"

Garp snorted. "You did a fine job, Luffy. So fine, that the four of you will probably spend days in the hospital."

Luffy only glared at his grandfather, apparently having no response.

"I'll call an ambulance, shall I?" Garp commented, leaving the room and heading out the door.

Was it really over? Nami looked at Kuro; he was down but was he out for the count? And what about the other men? Yeah, they'd gotten the shit beaten out of them, but some of them could regain consciousness at any moment and the fighting could start again.

It didn't.

Uniformed men began filing into the house by the dozens. Nami could tell by the patches on their shoulders that they were from a different precinct than Nezumi's. The beaten bodies of the Black Cat gang were hauled away, presumably to the backs of squad cars.

Nami watched in astonishment as Luffy remained standing on Kuro's back while other, less dangerous men were dealt with first. Were they stupid? Did they really think Kuro wasn't a threat because he was on the ground?

As if to punctuate the point, Kuro twisted suddenly beneath Luffy and grabbed the leg that stood upon him, digging his clawed gloves deep into Luffy's leg. Luffy howled in pain and surprise before he was shoved roughly away. Kuro made it to his knees before Nami swung the pipe as hard as she could, albeit with her left hand, not her right, at his head. She made a solid connection.

Kuro collapsed into a heap on the floor as Garp reentered the room, with Smoker in tow. Garp chuckled at the turn of events, nudging the gangster with his shoe.

"And in the end it's the yankee girl who knocks him out," Garp iterated. He smirked at Zoro and Luffy. "You boys have been bested."

Smoker was already on his way to her. He checked her over for injuries, grimacing at each one he found. Done with his inspection of her, he went to Ussop to do the same.

"This was handled poorly," Smoker commented, sitting the now conscious boy up. "Her mother is going to skin me alive, and you too if she sees you."

Garp laughed. "Her mother should be proud. Her daughter helped take down a gang that has been on the lamb for over three years."

"Yeah, but we're going to be the ones with death sentences," Smoker muttered. He pulled out his phone. "I may as well get this over with."

As Smoker made the call, stretchers came in from the ambulances. Zoro vehemently refused a stretcher, but the rest of them were carried out and taken to the two ambulances waiting outside. They were split into pairs: Ussop and Nami in one, Zoro and Luffy in the other. Nami lost sight of Smoker and Garp as the doors closed on the ambulance and they drove away.

There was a paramedic in the back with them for awhile, checking their vitals and trying to staunch any heavy bleeding, but once that was taken care of, he went to sit up front with his coworker. Nami and Ussop were left in the back by themselves.

"Thanks," Ussop wheezed quietly. His eyes were closed as he lay on the stretcher.

"Like I said," Nami replied, "I kind of got you into this. So don't thank me."

It was quiet for a moment.

"Nami, what's Fishman Village?"

Nami sat up quickly on her stretcher and slapped a hand over Ussop's mouth.

"Don't talk about that!" she hissed. Ussop's eyes opened to look at her curiously. "Where did you even hear about that?"

She lifted her hand from his mouth and regarded him.

"That asshole Kuro said something about it to you," Ussop informed her. "And you said something the other day about it too."

"Forget about it," Nami snapped. "Forget you ever heard it. It's not a good thing to know."

Ussop watched her for a minute before closing his eyes again with a sigh. "Fine."

Nami let her shoulders relax and lay down on the stretcher again. She had been careless to mention that in front of Ussop. She needed to be more cautious. No one could possibly know about her involvement with Fishman Village or it would be disastrous.

.o0o.

They ended up at Flevance Clinic. The four of them were met with wide eyes and looks of wonder as they were carried, or in Zoro's case, hobbled in. Still, the man who ran the clinic was professional and spent the rest of the morning and the whole of the afternoon taking care of them.

Smoker arrived not long after they made it to the Clinic, and Nami watched as he mostly hovered. She guessed he wasn't too enamored with the idea of going back to his office and facing her mother. Garp was around to take statements from the four of them, though he mostly argued with Luffy about his incompetence when interviewing him.

Finally, near dinner time, they were allowed to go home. None of them had suffered any life-threatening injuries, miraculously, and were all told to take it easy over the next week. Nami watched as a man in glasses and a fighting gi came to collect Zoro.

Ussop's mother arrived in tears, but thankfully not hysterics, to collect him next. They were given a voucher for a hotel to stay at for a few days while their house, the 'crime scene,' was dealt with. Luffy went off with his grandfather, not surprisingly, and Nami was left with Smoker.

"I'll be taking you home," he told her, helping her to stand. Her leg was bruised, swollen, and sore, but if she hobbled, she could walk. As she hobbled out, a young man wearing a uniform from her school walked in. They regarded each other for a moment.

He was an upperclassman, she could tell by the color of his tie. A second year. And apparently into little white bears too. There was a tiny white bear keychain attached to his book bag. But Nami didn't recognize his face. He held the door while she stumbled out, clutching the arm of Smoker for support.

"I think I missed something interesting," he murmured as he entered the clinic and closed the door behind him.

Nami made it to Smoker's car and collapsed against it. "I should have elected for the wheelchair."

"Your mother would have kittens if she saw you in one," Smoker commented, opening the door for her. She dragged herself into the cigar smoke smelling vehicle. He rounded the car and got in the driver's side. "She's going to have my balls now as it is."

Nami smirked, knowing he was right. Belle-mere may work for Smoker, but she was not intimidated by the man like so many others that met him. She was one of the few who had the gall to stand up to the man if she thought he was wrong.

"What's going to happen to Kaya?" Nami asked, watching out the side window as the town passed by.

"There were three in her household servant staff that were not a part of the Black Cat gang," Smoker told her. "One of them is a man named Merry, who has been with the family for over twenty years. He has offered to take over guardianship of Kaya, if the courts allow it."

"And if they don't?" Nami asked.

"She will be remanded to her nearest relative," Smoker answered. "Which, as far as I was able to find, is a third cousin who lives outside of the Blues. I had been in contact with him briefly. He had heard that Kaya's parents had died, but had no knowledge that Kaya even existed. Needless to say, it was a surprise to him that he had an underage cousin who may need his guardianship."

Though something about that explanation bugged her, Nami let the subject drop. There really was nothing Nami could do for Kaya, but she had grown to like the young blonde that had lived with her for the last few days. She hoped everything worked out for the best for the girl.

When they arrived at the house, Smoker told Nami to wait in the car. He then got out and came to her side, lifting her out of the car and carrying her into the house. Belle-mere was at the door, and by the look on her face, Nami believed both she and Smoker might die before the night was over.

Nojiko peeked around one side of Belle-mere and Kaya from the other. The two looked distressed at the sight of her.

"You should see the other guy," Nami quipped. It was not the thing to say. Nojiko's look turned cross and Kaya began to weep, while Belle-mere's eyebrow twitched.

"If you'd be so kind, Smoker, to take my daughter to her room," Belle-mere managed to request calmly. Smoker began walking in the house as the three women moved out of the doorway. "Seeing as she will be there for the rest of her life…"

Nami sighed in defeat. Of course she knew she was grounded. She didn't expect anything less. She had just hoped that somehow Belle-mere would see the good that was also done this day, as she had the day Nami had shown up to her office with Ussop and Kaya in tow.

"Good luck," Nami whispered to Smoker when he set her down on her bed. Smoker nodded in return.

"I'll need it," he replied, leaving her in her room with the two younger girls.

"Are you okay?" Kaya asked between sobs.

"Couple of cuts, couple of bruises," Nami replied, trying to downplay the injuries. Kaya looked completely eaten away by guilt. "The doctor told me to stay home for a week, but I think that's over kill. I think I'd be fine to go back in a day or two."

Nojiko didn't buy Nami's bluffing one bit, but at least she didn't say so in front of Kaya.

"How's Ussop?" she asked, looking anxious. Mutual puppy love. It was kind of cute.

"The worst for wear out of all of us, unfortunately," Nami admitted. "They broke his nose in two places. But other than that, just cuts and bruises like me."

Kaya's lip quivered.

"You should call him," Nami urged quickly, trying to avoid the water works. "He probably wants to hear from you."

Crying fit averted! Kaya nodded eagerly and went in search for her phone. After she had left, Nojiko gave Nami a hard look.

"You did something stupid," Nojiko deduced. "That's not like you."

"You think I should have let that boy die?" Nami asked rhetorically. "Trust me, if there had been a better way, I would have taken it."

"You were lucky they didn't kill you," Nojiko told her, before leaving her to herself.

No, Nami was not lucky they didn't kill her. She was going to have to explain this entire mess to her boss. She would be lucky if _he_ didn't kill her.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm a day late and a dollar short today. I had the flu yesterday and updating was not on my mind. Simply surviving the spewing was. TMI. Sorry. Anyway, please let me know what you think about this chapter. Obviously it was my homage to the Syrup Village episode.


	5. Chapter Five: Nami

**Chapter Five: Nami**

Even after missing a week of school, Nami wasn't fazed. She'd gotten all of her makeup homework from Nojiko so that she could hand it all in the Monday she came back. The worst she'd missed was a test in geography that she'd have to make up during lunch. Easy.

"Oi! Nami!"

Nami smirked at the familiar greeting. Obviously not expecting her to come to school, Luffy had not met her at the train station. He was already in his desk but stood up when she entered the classroom and clamored toward her, knocking into several students on his way to her. She held up a hand to stop him when he got close since he would likely barrel into her if left unchecked.

"Good morning, Luffy," Nami greeted, taking in his appearance. He still had a few band-aids here and there as well as some mending bruises showing on his face, but looked otherwise fine. As he'd bustled his way to her, she'd noticed he still had a slight limp, probably due to the deep punctures Kuro had inflicted on his leg.

A glance in Zoro's direction, since he had elected to stay in his seat, showed that he was in much the same state, though his arm was still bound tight with bandages. Nami wondered if he was still attending the kendo club, even with his injuries. Knowing Zoro, probably.

"Where's Ussop?" Nami asked after giving the cursory glance around the room and not seeing the boy.

"Still not here," Luffy lamented, staring at the open seat with a frown. He turned his attention back to her. "You're all colorful."

Nami's eyebrow twitched. Well, that was certainly an interesting, though true, way to describe herself. Unlike Luffy in the boy's uniform, consisting of pants, shirt and blazer, Nami had exposed legs as well as exposed arms in her short skirt and short-sleeve top. Her two worst wounds, the blows she had taken from the two-by-four, were very much visible, and she was indeed colorful. Purple and blue mostly, red and brown in some places, and even a gross yellowish color in some places.

"Thanks for noticing," she muttered, heading to her seat. Despite having a week to recover, she still limped a little too. Though the doctor at the Flevance Clinic had assured her that her leg and arm weren't broken, the bones had been bruised with the force of the blows. It was going to take multiple weeks to recover; not just one. And it seemed like they were going to hurt like a mother fucker in the meantime.

"You look like hell," Zoro commented as she sat down, giving her a cursory glance of her own. "You sure you should be here?"

Nami shrugged. "Maybe not. But it's better than staying at home and being bitched at by my mother. I'm apparently grounded for life. She's absolutely livid that I ditched school again to go participate in another gang fight. Oh, and she's contemplating suing your grandfather, by the way."

Luffy quirked his head to the side."Gramps? Why?"

"Child endangerment," Nami replied. "She probably won't, though. Smoker's trying to talk her out of it."

"Somehow I'm not surprised," Zoro chuckled. "Smoker used to work under Garp. Doubt he'd let anyone sue his former superior if he had any say in it."

Nami eyed Zoro carefully. "How do you know Smoker used to work for Garp?"

"I used to have my own problems with the law," he admitted. "Saw Smoker a lot before he 'retired.' He worked under Garp back in those days."

"And I thought I had problems," Nami chuckled, intrigued. Did Smoker have files in his office on Zoro as well? That little jewel might have to be explored in the future. "You must have been only eight or nine. My mother started working for Smoker when he opened his practice. That was back when I was ten."

Zoro didn't reply. In fact, he looked like he'd rather talk about anything else, though that only intrigued her more. But as if to answer Zoro's prayers, Luffy spoke up.

"You guys wanna go visit Ussop this afternoon?" he asked, diverting the subject for the moment. "My Gramps said they released his house so he's at home now."

Zoro shrugged indifferently, but Nami guessed he was probably near as eager to see Ussop as Luffy. Truth be told, Nami was eager herself, but she had something more pressing that had to be done first.

"I can't," Nami denied. Luffy looked crestfallen, but Zoro eyed her suspiciously. "Grounded, remember? Besides, I need to go to work today. I haven't been in a week."

"You have a job?" Luffy asked, amazed. Nami noted that he was too close; he was leaning over his chair onto her desk so that he was barely a foot from her.

"Yes, I do," Nami answered, pinching his cheek rather hard. He winced and pulled back. "I work as a messenger at an office downtown."

"A messenger?" Luffy repeated. "What's that?"

Nami had to think about that for a second. How did she explain what she did without making them curious for more information?

"My boss gives me a message," Nami explained. "I take it where it needs to go and deliver it."

"Sounds boring," Luffy complained, turning around in his seat. "It'll be much more fun going to visit Ussop."

"Knock yourself out," Nami returned. Miss Nico entered the room and began taking roll call. Nami sighed as she returned to the routine of school. The year was almost a third over; soon they'd have a brief summer break before resuming the school year. Nami couldn't care less.

The summer break was going to be torturous. Since she was grounded for life, she was doomed to spend the entire time at Smoker's office being an errand girl, except for the few days she was supposed to be working for her 'employer.'

Nami's mood darkened. She had to go see him today. There was no getting around it. He probably already had some of the details from Nezumi, but would be expecting to hear a full explanation from Nami. She was going to have a difficult time explaining Garp's involvement.

After school, Nami waited until she saw Zoro and Luffy walk off towards Ussop's house before beginning her own trek downtown. She didn't even get four blocks before she saw some Fish escorting her. She glared at them and threw up her middle finger.

On the sixteenth floor of her employer's building, Nami stood before the large desk of her employer and waited for him to acknowledge her. It took a long time. The longer Nami waited, the more tense she became.

"Well," her employer finally spoke up. "It seems you were involved in an altercation with the Black Cat gang."

Nami nodded stiffly. She wasn't going to supply any answers until she was directly asked. She'd learned that tactic when she was a child when being interrogated by Belle-mere. There was no point in volunteering information that may incriminate her later.

"Your message, it appears, fell on deaf ears," he deduced. "But rather than come to me to settle this skirmish, you went to, of all people, Garp. Head of the Special Crimes unit for the police."

Nami grimaced. This was not how she was hoping the conversation would go, but still kept her mouth shut.

"So now, I must deliver my revenge through alternate routes," he sighed in annoyance. "It will be costly. And do you know who will pick up that cost, my dear?"

Nami flinched at the endearment. "Me."

"You're damn right you will," he growled, stepping around the desk and walking to her. She didn't back away; it would have only fueled his anger. He stopped in front of her and grabbed her chin, raising it to she had to look into his eyes. "Give me one good reason not to skin you where you stand and sell your organs on the black market this minute."

Nami swallowed and played the only card she had.

"Nezumi was taking pay from the Black Cat gang," she replied, hoping it would be enough. "I went to 'report' the incident and as soon as it happened, but when I did, they dropped it like a bad habit."

Her employer dropped her chin and began to slowly pace in front of her. She knew he was mulling over what she said. Hopefully it would be enough to preoccupy him—

She was backhanded hard. She stumbled, but remained standing, wincing and facing him again, knowing she wasn't through yet. What she'd received couldn't be called a punishment, but merely a show of annoyance.

"And so you took the incident to the Special Police," he accused, still pacing. "Just what were you thinking in that stupid little head of yours?"

This was it. It was the excuse she'd come up with over the course of the week. If this didn't satisfy him, her remains would likely be found in a ditch tomorrow morning.

"The Black Cat gang didn't have any significant money," Nami explained in a shaky voice. "Taking them down and using the assets here would have been a waste of time and money. So I thought I could manipulate the police into taking them down for us…"

She trailed off at the look he gave to her. Nope. Her explanation wasn't good enough. Fuck.

"Manipulate the police," he repeated, incredulous. "You? Manipulate Garp?"

The silence hung heavy in the room. She knew there were other Fish in the room, but they were simply watching the show. Not one of them would interrupt now, lest they wanted to die too.

Nami was suddenly grabbed by the throat and dragged to the desk by her employer. She hadn't considered being choked to death; it wasn't exactly a typical yakuza way of killing. Honestly, she expected a bullet to the brain.

Instead, she watched in confusion as her employer pulled out a calculator and began typing numbers into it. It took over a minute to do, and during that minute, Nami felt herself get more and more light-headed. If he was planning on suffocating her while he did some paper work, well then he was accomplishing his goal.

As sudden as she was grabbed, she was let go. She fell to her knees and sucked in a deep breath of air. Then it was non-stop coughing.

"You are damned lucky."

Still light headed and coughing, Nami raised her head to look up at her employer. He was sneering down at her, but his look no longer promised death. Had she somehow dodged the bullet?

"You're right; it would have been more costly to take care of the job ourselves than to let Garp do it and pay Kuro back later," he told her. "Between that and how much I'm going to charge Nezumi for taking bribes from those shitty bastards, I might actually come out ahead. But the cost of paying Kuro back is still coming out of your hide."

Shakily, Nami pulled herself to her feet. Okay. She wasn't going to die today. But what was the price going to be?

Instead of telling her, he sat down in the chair at the desk. Nami backed away warily, wanting to put the desk between them again as a buffer. It may be useless in the long run, but it would make her feel better.

"I understand that you originally took your problems to that prosecution attorney," he commented, watching her as she went back to stand in front of his desk. "Smoker, am I right?"

Nami nodded. Fuck. Somehow his sources were nearly as good as Crocodile's. This wasn't going to be good, she knew. But she'd had no other choice.

"I want all the information he has on us expunged," he told her. "You will do this. I don't care if you have to break into his office at night and light it on fire or if you use some other means. That piece of shit is the only lawyer in the city that can't be bought, and I don't want him having anything of use on us. Understood?"

Nami nodded again. It wasn't so bad. She could do it. She'd do it slowly over the course of summer break, since she was doomed to be stuck there through her never-ending grounding.

"I want it done by the end of the week," her employer stipulated, crushing her plans.

Fuck. Just fuck. How was she going to do it? Nami had to seriously consider doing a break in overnight during the week. Not to mention, a break out of her own house.

"Am I understood?" he asked, his voice full of menace. Nami nodded vigorously.

"Good. Now get out of my sight," he growled. "And make sure the next time I see you, you have something very nice to give me. I will not tolerate you showing up empty handed again."

She nodded a fourth time and quickly retreated. There were sniggers and whispers as she left, but she didn't even stop to glare at the offenders. She knew she'd gotten of _very_ easily and didn't want to anger her employer any further than she already had.

When she was on the elevator, she took her compact mirror out of her bag and surveyed the damage. Her eyes were watery but okay, she supposed. No one would notice. Her neck was red but not too bad either. It was unfortunately the bloody nose that would draw attention. She wiped uselessly at the slow stream. It was even worse since some of it had dribbled onto her uniform.

She'd have to come up with an explanation for it. The sheer amount of lies she'd been having to tell lately was starting to take a toll on her. Nami wracked her brain in attempt to come up with a plausible excuse as she walked home.

"I was mugged on the way to work," was the excuse she gave Nojiko when she got home. Nojiko thankfully didn't have anything to retort. East Blue was such a crime-ridden city that such assaults were not uncommon. Nami was exhausted and just wanted to go to bed. Screw homework. It was when she got to her room that she noticed the difference.

"Nojiko, where's Kaya?" Nami called down the stairs, noting that the blonde's futon was missing. Since the beginning of her stay at their house, Kaya had been staying in her room and since she wasn't allowed to go home, wearing her clothes as well. Now, Nami's room was as empty as before.

"She went to work with Belle-mere this morning," Nojiko answered back. "Something about having the court decide what to do with her now."

Nami sighed, wondering again about Kaya's supposed third cousin outside of One Piece. It still didn't sit well with her. But she couldn't do anything about it now. Whatever the court had decided, Nami would have to wait until Belle-mere got home to find out about the girl's fate.

"Damn," she muttered, pulling out her homework. Sleep would have to wait in light of her curiosity. When Belle-mere did arrive home a few hours later, she didn't have a promising look on her face.

"Kaya's been remanded to the care of her third cousin," Belle-mere explained, seeing the question in her daughter's face, also accepting Nami's explanation for new injuries without suspicion. "She's probably at her home packing right now. She'll be leaving in a few days."

It was like the icing on the cake for Nami's bad day. Her meddling was going to cost Ussop the love of his teenage years. She didn't want to face him and tell him the bad news.

"I'm going to bed," she announced. "I'm exhausted."

"You should eat dinner," Belle-mere admonished.

"Not hungry," Nami muttered, trudging up to her room.

"Before you go hide in your room," Belle-mere stopped her, "I wanted to ask how work went for you. You never called them to explain the situation and I was wondering—"

"I'm not fired," Nami replied. "But I got suspended from work for the week. So yeah, I got in trouble."

"Well, this may help, then," her mother offered. "Smoker wanted to know if you would be interested in doing a little office work the days of the week you didn't work at your other job. It turns out having you file his paperwork for him those days we held you home from school helped out a lot."

Somehow, on this incredibly shitty day, she still had some sort of luck. It was an opportunity that Nami knew she couldn't pass up.

"I'll come by tomorrow after school," Nami told her, and finally shut herself into her room, planning to sleep the rest of the day away.

.o0o.

Luffy met her at the train station on Tuesday morning with the usual gusto. Nami barely managed to say hello. She was in a foul mood again. Sleep had eluded her despite her exhaustion, and the fact that she had to deal with his over exuberance was trying to say the least. Finally, tired of his loudness, she elbowed him in the gut, hard.

"What was that for?" he whined, still in step with her.

"You're being too loud," she told him. "I'm walking right next to you. You don't have to shout in my ear."

Luffy pouted and rubbed his stomach as they made their way to class. Zoro was of course there already and to Nami's disappointment, so was Ussop. She'd hoped to avoid that conversation for a few more days. Apparently not, she realized as she made her way to her seat.

"Another fight?" Zoro asked as she sat down, eyeing her now black eye and new bruises on her neck. Apparently, her makeup job was not up to par today.

"Mugged on my way to work," she muttered, watching Ussop get up from his seat and walk their way.

"You? Got mugged?" Zoro snorted in disbelief.

Irritated, Nami snapped at him. "Yes! I did. For some reason, I'm not as able to defend myself as usual. Now why could that be? Maybe because I'm still not fully recovered from my last gang fight?"

Zoro rolled his eyes, but didn't pick on her anymore.

"Good morning, Ussop," Nami greeted the boy standing at her desk, though she was still glaring at Zoro.

"Morning," he returned. Nami looked up at him to see how he was. Not bad, all things considered. His nose was still in a splint and he had his fair share of bruises too, but all in all, he looked rather well. "Wish you coulda come over yesterday. My mom has been hounding me to get you guys to come over so she could thank you."

"I've told you twice not to thank me," Nami replied, feeling guilt at his injuries. "I got you into that mess."

"You also helped get me out," Ussop countered. "And helped Kaya."

Nami sighed. Well, she may as well get it over with.

"Don't thank me for that, either," she muttered. "Kaya's leaving."

"I know," Ussop said. Nami looked up at him. "She called me yesterday."

Well that was a relief. She hadn't wanted to be the bearer of bad news. And now that she looked at him, Nami noticed that he didn't seem all that upset.

"It sucks that she's leaving," Ussop relented, putting his hands in his pockets and looking away. "But it's not like I won't ever talk to her again. I mean, she's just a phone call away. And we can video chat over the internet…"

He was putting up a brave face, she realized. Nami didn't want to demean him by bringing attention to it.

"Well, give your mom my regards," Nami said, "but I'm grounded for life. I don't think I'll be coming over any time soon. Besides, I picked up another part time job. I have to work every afternoon now."

"Another?" Luffy repeated, looking crestfallen. Nami guessed he'd hoped to rope her into one of his afternoon antics again, despite her declaration of grounding. "Why do you need two?"

"Because I want two," Nami returned, pinching his cheek again so he'd stop leaning over her desk. Honestly, did he not know what personal space was?

"You need someone to walk you so you don't get mugged?" Zoro asked, smirking. Nami gave him a dark look. She was not in the mood to put up with being teased.

"Sure," she cooed in retaliation. "You can walk me right in and up to Smoker's desk. I'm doing office work for him. I'm sure you two have tons to talk about, being old friends and all."

Zoro's demeanor changed abruptly and soon she was on the receiving end of a dark look herself.

Miss Nico chose that time to walk in and begin attendance. Ussop went back to his seat while Luffy turned around in his. Nami sighed and pulled out her homework. She was starting to loathe school, but seeing as it was her so-called freedom from grounding, she dealt with it.

Lunch was…well, it was a spectacle. That was the best word Nami had to describe it. Though Luffy and Zoro still went to the canteen to buy their lunches, they returned to the classroom to eat for a change. Ussop, with no Kaya to sit with, had turned Luffy's desk around to sit with her as she ate her bento. That wasn't so bad, but when the other two joined them, it became a fiasco.

Luffy was an overzealous eater to say the least. Though it looked like he had bought enough food for all four of them, he ate it all in minutes and even began absconding food from the three of them. Zoro, apparently used to this action, was well versed in deflecting Luffy's snatching hands with chopsticks. Nami was a quick learner though, and after having only a few bites of her bento stolen, managed to deflect most of his grabby hands thereafter. Ussop was the one who suffered the most; at least half of his lunch was picked off by Luffy.

It was weird, to say the least. Nami had never had friends like this before. Technically, she'd never had any friends before. People who sat with her and talked to her, followed her around and worried about her wellbeing. In her previous school, she'd always been alone. She'd perfected the 'untouchable' aura, and though she was pleasant to her classmates, she had never allowed them to get close. Not like this.

The afternoon was a bore. Zoro fell asleep in class again, and Nami, feeling an odd endearment towards him, poked him with her pencil to wake him up. He gave her a dirty look, but she reached over to his desk and flipped the pages in his book so he was on the right page. Just in time, too. Miss Nico asked him a question. He glanced down at his book and studied the question. Somehow, he came up with the right answer. He threw her a look of thanks and she smiled and winked in return.

Maybe having friends wasn't so bad.

After school, Nami made her way to the train station and was dismayed to see that she was being followed. She narrowed her eyes at the three boys trailing after her. She stopped them before they could get on.

"No," she stated, holding her hands out to stop them. "You're not following me to work. I can get there just fine on my own."

"Like yesterday?" Zoro shot back. "Your face and neck say otherwise."

Nope. Never mind. Friends were a nuisance. These three idiots were going to get it, Nami swore. Actually, Zoro mostly. The turd. She had even gone out of her way to help him in class! She was going to make his life miserable. She walked over to them, turned them each around one by one and pushed them away.

"Go. I don't want you guys following me," she ordered, heading towards the ticket kiosk. They of course turned to follow her again but she held up her hand and waved it at them. They were all stunned to see their wallets in her hand. "I'll give them back tomorrow."

Nami passed through the ticket kiosk and boarded the train, watching as the boys stood dumbfounded outside of the platform. She got off at the station near Smoker's office and began her walk to her new 'work.'

It wasn't dangerous, per se, what her employer had asked her to do. It was simply removing incriminating evidence. Nami doubted there would be much, or Smoker would have gone to Garp and had her employer arrested by now. It was just that if she was caught, she'd have a lot of explaining to do.

She was lucky enough when she got there to be told she was going to be reorganizing the filing room. It was a blessing. She was in the exact place she needed to be to destroy files. The only thing was, how _did_ she destroy the files? Smoker would probably notice if she started shredding things.

"I want these files moved to the back," Smoker told her, pointing to a stack on the floor along with a section of files on the wall of the filing room. "These are low priority. The ones in the back now I want separated by case. Tomorrow I'll go through them and tell you where I want them. Start with this."

Nami sighed heavily and nodded. It was a lot of busy work, really, but she would at least have a reason for looking at the files if someone happened upon her. She went to the back and started pulling files out of the shelving and bringing them up to the front. Done with that, she started toting files back and putting them on the shelves in alphabetical order. Lastly, she went back to the front of the room and began organizing the paperwork by case. It didn't take her long to become distracted.

In one of Smoker's old files were the details regarding a minor named Roronoa Zoro. It dated back ten years. Hell, he'd been getting into trouble since he was six? And she thought _she_ was bad. It was a lengthy file and Nami didn't really have time to read through it, but she happened to see the title 'The Blender Incident' on one of the pages and couldn't stop herself. She giggled throughout the report. She'd have to come back to this file when she had more time.

She tried to focus on her work, but an hour later, she was distracted again. She found a file on the Don Krieg mafia. They 'owned' a part of the city, ironically the part of the city where Smoker's office was, and had held it for several years. She glanced through the file quickly before discreetly sticking it into her book bag. She returned to sorting cases and was retrieved by Belle-mere at six o'clock to go home to dinner.

.o0o.

"Where's my wallet?"

It was the first day that Zoro met her at the train station in the morning. Nami smirked at him as he stood sullenly beside Luffy and Ussop, recalling what she'd read the day before.

"I said I'd give it to you this morning," Nami relayed after a snicker. "I didn't say what time this morning."

Zoro's sullen look turned livid. She sighed in exasperation and dug in her bag to pull out the boys' wallets.

"Don't follow me around like lost puppies or I'll take something more important than your wallet," she warned them, handing them over. But since they were all heading to the same school, they had to follow her anyway.

School was its usual boring self. The only note of interest seemed to be that all three boys stayed in the classroom with her at lunch again. They were all quips and humor, poking fun at one another and just generally being friendly. To Nami, it was odd. But not a bad thing. She wondered how long it would last.

The school semester was ending in a couple weeks. Would her friends last through the summer?

.o0o.

After spending the rest week and weekend re-filing everything in Smoker's office, it seemed, Nami had accomplished her task. She'd been wrong; Smoker had an abundance of evidence on her employer that she'd had to sneak out bit by bit each day. It was a relief to be done, to say the least, and to top it off, Smoker no longer needed her for the moment. Just in time to study for exams. But Nami had another task to fulfill before she could concentrate on her tests.

Triple checking that she wasn't followed, since despite her warnings, the boys tended to try to follow her around every day, Nami made her way downtown towards her employer's office. She hadn't been there since last Monday and hoped a week was enough time for him to calm down. She also hoped the file that she carried in her bag would be well received.

On the sixteenth floor, Nami stepped out of the elevator into the open office area. It went dead silent again upon her arrival. Her employer looked at her with mild interest.

"And so she returns," he narrated. "To report of a successfully accomplished task, I hope."

"The files are destroyed," Nami assured him, approaching his desk. "And while I was there, I saw this. I hope it makes up for the trouble I've caused you."

Nami placed the file on the desk and backed away. He raised an eyebrow at her before picking up the file and reading through it. By the smile that grew on his face, Nami guessed the information was going to prove useful.

"Get the Trio up here," her employer told one of the men lounging near his desk. "It seems we have an opportunity to grow our empire."

The dead silence gave way to murmurs and whispers. The Trio was her employer's favorite (and most brutal) enforcer team and sometimes his personal body guards. To call for them was a cause for gossip. Nami watched, albeit apprehensively, as her employer came around his desk and stood before her. He put his hand under her chin and raised it.

"I knew you would be worth the investment," he praised, putting his other hand on her shoulder. "I'm promoting you. You are no longer a messenger."

Oh no. Not a promotion! This was bad! Very bad!

"You're going to make me more money than ever," he predicted, taking his hand from her chin to gently pat her head. "I saw the potential for you the day you were brought to me. Now, you're going to pay off in spades."

Nami felt her insides ice up and dread fill her. She knew what he was promoting her to. It was the one position she had hoped to never have.

"You, my dear, are going to become a Mermaid," he told her, sealing her fate.

* * *

 **A/N:** I realized today that I'm about a week late uploading. My fault. I forgot. But I'll be uploading next week to make up for it.

It was brought to my attention in a review from moi that Nami was almost OOC with how badass she was acting. I honestly didn't realize this as I was writing and have since reread and decided, yes, she is quite a bit more brave and self sacrificing than Oda makes her. It was also suggested (by moi again) that I add a chapter explaining this. I thought that this was a good idea (rather than going back in the story and changing her character as I've made it up to now) and will do that in the next chapter.

So thanks moi. I appreciate the feedback and welcome anymore that anyone may have.


	6. Chapter Six: Nami

****A/N:**** As stated in the previous chapter, this chapter is going to be a little background chapter of Nami and how she became the girl she is now. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter Six: Nami**

At ten years old, you're not supposed to know what yakuzas are, what prostitutes are, what hit men are, and what it was like to sacrifice yourself for someone else. But at ten, Nami already knew all these things. She'd always been a fast learner.

In the beginning, Nami, Nojiko and Bell-mère had lived in the country on a mikan farm. They lived there rent free while Bell-mère raised and harvested the mikans for the old husband and wife that owned the farm. Those times were all that Nami knew at first. It was pleasant enough, though on occasion, Nami got sick of having mikans for almost every meal. But all in all, it wasn't that bad.

She was ripped from those gentle, easy-going times when the old husband suddenly died and the old wife decided to sell the farm. Being out of a job and essentially evicted from their home, Bell-mère had no choice but to move them out of the country and into the city.

Unfortunately, the only area that they could afford on Bell-mère's meager savings was a shithole apartment in the East Blue. Even at the age of ten, Nami knew that East Blue was the worst of all the Blues to live in. Now she was thrust into a school of over-privileged children who thought less of her because she was supposed to be a country bumpkin.

Well, those snot-nosed kids learned a thing or two when Nami scored first out of all of her class on exams. She didn't manage to win any friends that way, but Nami had only had her sister Nojiko and Bell-mère back in the country, so being lonely at times was something she was familiar with. She even had started to enjoy the solitude.

But times were tough and rent berries didn't grow on trees like mikans did. Bell-mère's part-time job of cleaning houses wasn't doing very much to pay the rent and put food on the table. So Nami and Nojiko had decided they would try to help as much as they could. Nojiko got a paper route and Nami began collecting cans and bottles from the gutters. Together, they helped to supplement Bell-mère's income by about five thousand berries a week.

Bell-mère was upset that they had done such things without her knowing. She didn't make Nojiko give up her paper route or manage to stop Nami from collecting cans and bottles, but she wouldn't accept the berries. She told them that they needed to save it for themselves. And in the meantime, Bell-mère got thinner and thinner as she skipped meals instead of joining Nami and Nojiko to eat.

Being smart for her age, it didn't take Nami long to realize what the real problem was.

If Bell-mère didn't have to take care of Nojiko and herself, she'd be able to get by. It was as simple as that. Nami knew that Bell-mère had taken herself and Nojiko in when they were babies, but no one ever said the word adopted. It was clear that Bell-mère couldn't take care of them and herself at the same time anymore so Nami decided she would make the hard decision for Bell-mère and would go away.

As smart as she was, though, Nami wasn't sure on how to do that. Did she just pack up her clothes and walk down to the nearest orphanage and say, 'here I am?' Should she even take her clothes? Technically, Bell-mère had bought them for her (actually for Nojiko, and Nami had been gifted the hand-me-downs) so they weren't hers at all.

Bell-mère caught her in the middle of packing her clothes one afternoon (Nami decided that since they wouldn't fit anyone else in the apartment she could take them) and asked what she was doing. Nami explained that she was going to return herself to an orphanage so Bell-mère wouldn't have to take care of her anymore and Bell-mère had a fit.

Nami had never seen Bell-mère so angry. She actually yelled at her and told her that she was acting on a stupid idea. Nami, feeling insulted at inadvertently being called stupid, responded with equal anger and mean words. She said she didn't want to live with such a pauper anymore and that she'd be glad to get away from such awful digs since none of them were actually related.

It was the first time in her life that Nami was struck.

It was a simple slap; a reprimand for such blasphemous words, Bell-mère said. But Nami was so shocked that she ran from the house and hid at the park for a few hours. Eventually, Nojiko came looking for her and told her she should come back home before it got dark but Nami refused. She didn't want to go back and face the overly kind woman who gave up her own meals for her and refused to let Nami help her.

So Nojiko stayed with Nami and the two of them fell asleep in the park and woke up at home in their beds in the morning. There was no question to how they'd gotten home (Bell-mère had obviously come looking for them and carried them home), but things were different from then on. Nami stopped relying on Bell-mère as much and went about looking for other ways to care for herself so she wouldn't have to watch Bell-mère sacrifice even more.

Nojiko began using her berries to buy groceries for them. Bell-mère couldn't complain because Nojiko was using her berries the way she wanted to. And Nami began to save her berries as she collected them as means to move them into a better apartment when she got enough. It helped, but it didn't get rid of the problem.

.o0o.

One evening, Bell-mère sat the two of them down and told them she had something very important to talk to them about.

"I'm getting a second job," Bell-mère announced. "I'll be starting later this week. It will be evenings, so the two of you will be on your own after dinner. Nojiko, you're ten now, so technically you can watch your sister, but Nami, you're ten going on thirty-six, so I doubt there will be much trouble between the two of you."

"Why are you getting a second job?" Nojiko asked. Nami wanted to know too, but she was still in that I'm-still-angry-about-the-slap-so-I'm-not-talking phase.

"Well, the truth is that my cleaning job isn't going so well these days," Bell-mère admitted. "I might lose that job soon, so just in case I'm going to pick up a second job to save berries. If the cleaning job gets better, it just means I'll have some savings again."

Nojiko nudged Nami to speak up about her savings but Nami remained silent. She knew there was something else going on about this job thing. Bell-mère didn't worry like this all the time.

"And if this job goes well, I might not need the cleaning job anymore," Bell-mère went on, gaining fake enthusiasm. By the looks of it, even Nojiko could tell something was off now. "So don't you two worry. I'll start tomorrow I think, but just for a few hours in the evenings. I'll be home after you're asleep but I'll still be the one waking you up in the mornings, okay?"

Neither of them said anything. Nojiko nodded in understanding and Nami continued to sulk. Bell-mère had let them go then and the two of them waited until they were at school to discuss their thoughts on the matter.

"I think she's already lost the cleaning job," Nami told Nojiko. "She just doesn't want us to worry."

"You should have given her your savings," Nojiko nagged. "It's not much but twenty thousand berries will pay half the rent where we live."

"And then what?" Nami asked. "She'd still have to find a different job. And like you said, it's only half the rent. It only solves the problem for half a month. I'm working on getting us out of that shithole."

Nojiko tsked at Nami's cursing.

"What?" Nami shrugged dismissively. "Bell-mère is the one who called it that first."

"I don't like the sound of this new job," Nojiko went on. "I think she knows it's a bad idea too. She just can't do anything else because we have no berries."

"I want to move out of this city," Nami stated. "I want to move to South Blue where Bell-mère could get a better job and the kids at school wouldn't be assholes."

"I think they'd be assholes anywhere we went," Nojiko predicted. "But South Blue might be better. Even West Blue would be—"

"No," Nami interrupted. "We were abandoned in West Blue. I don't want to go back there."

Nojiko shrugged. "Anywhere would be better than here."

"That's true," Nami agreed.

"When are you gonna start talking to Bell-mère again?" Nojiko prodded. Nami frowned.

"When I feel like it," Nami replied sulkily. "It's none of your business."

"Look, the reason she got so mad was because she loves us like family," Nojiko explained for the hundredth time it seemed.

"And we're the reason we're all starving," Nami returned for the hundredth. "Love makes you do stupid things. I don't ever want to love anyone and be that stupid."

Nojiko frowned at her. "Not wanting to love and not wanting to be loved are two different things. And you can't stop people from loving you. You can only treat them the best you can when they do love you."

Nami didn't answer because she knew Nojiko was right but didn't want to admit it out loud. But apparently Nojiko wasn't done.

"And you're treating Bell-mère pretty shittily," she added. "And she loves you to the moon."

"I'd rather she loved common sense more," Nami muttered. "I see her. Let's go."

Bell-mère collected them and they began walking home. Nami could tell that Bell-mère hadn't been to the cleaning job today. Her hair was done up all fancy and she had painted her nails; both toes and fingers. It was odd.

"I had a late lunch so you guys get to eat on your own when we get home," she told them. "I'll have a late dinner when I get back home tonight. Remember I want you two in bed by eight-thirty. No giving each other trouble just because I'm not there."

Nami was barely listening. She had noticed a car across the street from their apartment that had a suspicious looking man in it. He watched them the whole way home.

Nami spent her early evening hours pretending to do her homework but really watching the car across the street. It never moved and the man inside never took his eyes off their apartment. Finally, around eight o'clock, Bell-mère took off for the evening wearing high heeled shoes and as she headed to the train station, the man in the car finally left. He was following her.

This was not okay! Nami went clamoring to Nojiko and the two of them fretted for over five hours waiting for Bell-mère to come home. When she finally did, it was almost two in the morning and she was hopping mad about the girls still being up.

"I told you two, bed at eight-thirty!" Bell-mère complained over their yelps for attention. Finally, Nami climbed on their table and demanded her consideration.

"There was a creepy guy following you!" she exclaimed when she had it. "He watched the house all afternoon and then followed you when you left tonight."

Bell-mère was taken aback for a moment. "A creepy guy?"

"Yeah," Nami nodded. "He was creepy and smoked a cigar and had gray hair even though he looks like he's thirty. His car was navy blue and kinda dinged up a little."

Bell-mère now looked irritated. "Navy blue car with some dings, was it?"

"Don't go out at night anymore!" Nojiko pleaded. "Get a different job! Please! Don't get followed around by creeps anymore."

Bell-mère sighed. "I'm not going out at night anymore. Except maybe to school. The creepy guy you saw wasn't a bad guy. He was a cop. And he offered me a job doing work for him if I go to school and become a paralegal. I guess I just didn't realize was following me earlier. I'll have to speak to him about that."

"What kind of job is he offering?" Nami wanted to know.

"Security," Bell-mère told her. "At the firm Uncle Gen works at."

"But you have to go to school?" Nojiko asked. "For how long?"

"About two years," Bell-mére informed them. "So watch out. You two girls aren't going to be the only smarties in the house anymore."

And when she'd smiled that huge toothy smile, Nami almost believed that Bell-mère was right. The feeling lasted about a day.

Two days after their late-night social session, Nami found herself being watched again. This time it was a different creep watching, but nonetheless, he had a bad look about him and soon Nami was watching her back for unwanted visitors. She thought herself lucky when she and Nojiko weren't approached on their way home from school on the few days that Bell- mere wasn't able to retrieve them.

She should have known that the morons who wanted to scare her or whatever weren't smart enough to think of that plan. Three days after Bell-mére decided to quit her new job, the creep finally approached her.

"Hey little girl," the creep spoke up from the other side of the fence at school. "Come over here for a second."

Nami knew better than that, but she was also friendless and the model student, so no one was watching her. Now was as good a time as any to find out what this creeper wanted.

"What do you want?" she asked point blank. The creepy guy smiled unkindly.

"I want you to take a message to that cunt you call your mother," the asshole told her. Nami seethed at the insult to Bell-mére but waited for him to get it out already. "Tell her that if she don't come back to work for The Don, we gonna mess up her good, and take you two little bitches for payment. Got it?"

Nami sighed. Yep. Bell-mére had gotten herself into a bad job again. Now they didn't want to let her quit and were threatening herself and Nojiko now. Just who the hell was this Don guy?

"Listen, mister," Nami laid out, "you can go to hell. My mother won't work for you anymore. She's got a nice security job now and doesn't need your money. You go tell your 'the Don' that. And if you try to come after me or my sister, we'll scream pedophile. Got it?"

"Why you little—"

"Teacher! There's a scary man here who tried to touch me!" Nami screamed at the top of her lungs. Everyone on the playground looked their way. The creep looked angered and startled, but drew away instantly as the nearest teacher came running over to Nami.

Nami had hoped that would be the end of it. No such luck.

After getting in trouble with Bell-mére for even talking to the prick at school, Nami saw that she and Nojiko were still followed, and by more guys this time. All of them looked pretty rough. Nami knew that she was going to have to think of a different solution before something bad happened.

She never got the chance.

Bell-mére was at her new job for seven days before someone took a shot at her. Literally. Bell-mére's detail was simply guarding a ritzy house for some obscenely rich people on the outskirts of East Blue. There was no need for physical confrontation; she was simply in a guard house letting people on the property if they had clearance.

Still, there was a drive-by that rained bullets at the front gate and guard house. Bell-mére had gotten away from the scary incident very luckily with only some cuts from shattered glass. But Nami knew that this was only the beginning. Things would only continue to escalate.

When library time came the next day, Nami used the school's computer to search this 'the Don' person and read up on the criminal history of Don Kreig, one of the most prolific killers and mafia head of the East Blue. It left her sickened to say the least. Nami knew that Bell-mére had gotten herself into some bad shit, and by association, gotten herself and Nojiko into it too.

Nami puzzled on what to do for the next few days while Bell-mére took required time off work to recover from her minor injuries. It seemed to Nami that this would be exactly what the thugs would want; Bell-mére secluded from other people so they could attack her. So Nami pestered Bell-mére to go see her new friend Smoker on her days off to get signed up for school. Bell-mére went with little cajoling, and Nami began to wonder in the back of her mind about the relationship Bell-mére had with Smoker.

Nami read up at the library about the subject of gangs and mafias and yakuzas and how overpopulated by them East Blue was. She also read up on paying for protection from a gang. Nami had a tiny bit of money, but it probably wasn't enough to cover the monthly cost of keeping them safe. So the only solution she had was to go to one of the gangs or yakuzas (since the Don's mafia was out of the question) and see if she could work for them in exchange for protection.

Being only ten years old, she wasn't too confident on her success on the matter. Still, she tried. She looked through all of the news reels to see who was the strongest of all the rival factions, and as far as she could tell, the Sawshark's yakuza, also sometimes called the Fishmen, were currently the strongest. Or at least, strong enough to stand up to the Don's mafia.

Once again, Nami was a little stumped. Just how did one join a specific yakuza? She really had no idea. Other than to go hang around the scary parts of town that Bell-mére always told her to stay away from. So that's exactly what Nami did. It didn't take long for someone to approach her.

"Hey, little girl," the first creep of the day called. "You shouldn't be wandering around this area alone. Someone might snatch you up and eat you."

"I'm looking for someone," she answered.

"Just who are you looking for?" the creep asked.

"The Sawshark," Nami answered boldly. "I thought this was his territory."

The creep took on a look that was a combination of humor and disbelief. "You can't be serious, kid."

"I am," Nami replied. "I need to see him. I want a job."

The creep laughed, but it was in disbelief again. "A job? You? What can you do?"

"I don't know," Nami answered, a little unsure of herself. "But I want one. I want to see the Sawshark."

The guy laughed again, this time in amusement and went to go get his buddies, creeps number two and three. When they came and questioned her, she gave them all the same insistent answers. The three of them were at a loss of what to do it seemed. Finally, creep number two got on his phone and called someone. Whoever it was, they were of a higher authority than these three creeps because Nami was allowed to be taken to a downtown high rise.

It was that easy, apparently. The creep that she had been first approached by had been named Chew, and just happened to be one of three Enforcers of the Sawshark himself. The Sawshark, a sinister-looking man in a crisp suit, Nami observed, sat behind a large desk that looked to be made of metal and stared at her with interest.

"So you want to work for me?" he observed. "What makes you think that you'd be of any use to such a man?"

"I can do lots of things," Nami told him. She had no idea what this man would make her do, but hopefully it would be something within her ability.

"Like what, for example?" the Sawshark prodded. Nami grimaced.

"What would you want me to do?" Nami returned. The Sawshark laughed.

"Let me tell you, little girl, there are only three positions in this organization," he said, holding up three fingers. One by one, he ticked them off. "First off is an Enforcer. You met three of my best before. Chew, Kuroobi, and Hachi. They make sure that the areas that are mine stay mine, by any means necessary. Second, is a Messenger. These people make sure that new faces on my territory know who they are dealing with by means of words or fists, whichever gets the job done. And third, a blossoming area that I'm just developing, is the Mermaid. Mermaids, well, they are what you would probably know better as a whore."

Nami sure did know what a whore was. The kids at school talked about them a lot. They talked about the fact that if you wanted to see a whore you just needed to go down to Tequila Wolf bridge and take a look at the women there. Those women sold their bodies to sex for money.

"So tell me, little girl, where can you help me in my organization?" the Sawshark posed. "I dare say that you would not make a very good Enforcer, and as for a Messenger—"

"I can be a Messenger," Nami piped up, trying to sound confident. "I can do that."

The Sawshark looked disbelieving. "You're a bit of a lightweight for that area, I think."

"I can do it," Nami promised. "I can. I don't draw a lot of attention and I'm good at sneaking into places people tell me I shouldn't be and I can deliver messages."

The Sawshark still looked doubtful. "Sneak into places…"

He looked at the large man named Kuroobi.

"She's the right age," Kuroobi told him, answering an unasked question. "A year or two younger, probably, but the right age to get into that school undetected, I'd wager."

Nami had no idea what they were talking about, but she also didn't have long to ponder.

"Very well," the Sawshark relented. "I will consider letting you into my organization— _if—_ you can settle a little matter for me. I need a Messenger to stop a little upstart who has been selling drugs in our territory. You deliver him the message that he either joins our organization, or he stops immediately. Do you understand?"

Nami thought about it for a moment. "And if he refuses, I'm supposed to beat him up?"

The Sawshark smiled very wide. It made him look even more sinister. "Very good. I see you're a smart one. That's a good thing. Yes, if you can't convince him with words, you must convince him with fists. And if you fail, my dear, you will be the one getting the ever-living shit beat out of you."

Nami wasn't sure if the Sawshark meant that she would get beaten up by this so-called upstart drug dealer, or if it would be the thugs of the Sawshark's yakuza. Probably both.

"Where do I find this kid?" Nami asked.

"Young Pearl is a student at Orangetown Elementary School," the Sawshark relayed. "He can be seen there every afternoon hustling the kids in his school with drugs."

Nami nodded in understanding. She turned to leave.

"Oh, and one more thing, my dear," the Sawshark spoke up. Nami bristled at the term of endearment but held her tongue. She turned back to face the yakuza boss. "You have three days to do it. Starting today."

Nami's eyes popped wide for a moment. Holy shit. She couldn't waste any time at all then. She nodded again.

"Got it," Nami assured him, and then went to the elevator to leave.

.o0o.

Nami didn't care to lie, so when she told Bell-mére that she wanted to go to Orangetown Elementary because she needed to see someone, it wasn't a lie. Bell-mére just assumed that Nami was going there to meet a friend. Far from it.

Nami knew this wasn't going to end well. She had been in a few scuffles with the kids at her school over the last few months, but nothing serious. Nami had never raised her hand to them either. It was always the kids wanting to confront her. But now Nami had to pull on the big girl pants and do what needed to be done to keep herself and Bell-mére and Nojiko safe.

Nami only had to ask one kid where she could find Pearl. The boy, who was about a year older than her, looked at her as if she were crazy and pointed her to where the school kept their dumpsters. Great.

Wrinkling her nose at the smell as she approached, Nami observed a boy that was at least two, probably three years older than her. Yep. She was really going to get her ass kicked. But she couldn't rescind on the job so she walked over to the boy who was observing her with equal scrutiny.

"What you want, brat?" he snapped.

"To deliver a message," Nami told him. "You're in the territory of the Sawshark. You join his crew or you stop selling in his area. Got—"

She never got the chance to finish her sentence before she was cracked square in the jaw. The boy was pretty quick and unfortunately pretty strong. He punched her in the stomach too before she could recover from the first punch.

"You stupid little bitch," he mocked. "You think I care that some little brat tells me to stop? Is that all the Fishmen have? Little brats? Well fuck that. I'll keep selling as long as I please and where I please. You go tell your little boss that, bitch."

Nami was gaining fury with the pain of the hits she took. She got up onto her knees and launched herself at him, tackling him through the mid-section. He fell onto his butt, but wasn't as incapacitated as Nami hoped as he elbowed her in the face. She felt blood falling from her nose now. She wasn't too happy with that thought but what she had pulled out of the boy's back pocket without him noticing was quite appealing. She quickly rolled off of him and onto her stomach, hiding her hands. Quickly, she stuffed the wad of money down her pants.

"Quit it, you little fucker, or I'll really mess you up," he threatened. "I ain't got no patience for little brats who don't know their place."

Nami felt far from done, but she was huffing for air and he was just a little inconvenienced. She had to rethink her strategy. She got up from the ground and pinched her nose while she thought. There was one idea that might work, but it might also get her in trouble with the yakuza.

'Oh well,' she thought. 'I'm gonna be in trouble now as it is.'

She gave the bigger boy a level look. "Just let me say what I was supposed to say and I'll go, okay?"

Pearl rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. "Fine. Whatever. As long as you leave afterwards."

"Just what I was saying before," Nami reiterated. "Stop selling in the Sawshark's territory or join his gang. That's all."

"Or what?" the kid asked. "He'll send out more babies like you to hassle me?"

"Or I'll be forced to make you stop," she told him, shrugging. He laughed overenthusiastically at her.

"Like you could," he mocked. "You don't even know how to fight."

"I'll learn," she supposed, shrugging. "This is your only warning, by the way."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Pearl sneered. "The Don's Mafia is taking care of me. So move on little fish filet."

Nami was so angry with that kid that she no longer worried about any consequences that may arise from doing what she was about to do. She left the school and the punk behind and walked straight home to Bell-mére.

Bell-mére was back on her security shift but was home from work by the time Nami got there. She took one look at Nami's bloody face and demanded to know what happened. Once again, Nami didn't lie.

"When I was at the school, there was a boy there selling drugs," Nami told her. "I told him to stop and he hit me."

Bell-mére did exactly what Nami had hoped she would do; she took her to her cop friend Smoker. Smoker, though he acted a little oddly around Bell-mére, listened to Nami's explanations and took notes on what the boy Pearl looked like and where he could be found selling drugs.

The next day, the kid was busted with about fifty thousand berries worth of drugs on him and carted off to the local police station. Nami watched it all from afar, just to make sure it happened, before heading off to the downtown high rise where she was to go see the Sawshark. There was a little more awkwardness while the guards at the front desk fumbled with how to handle the ten year old who walked in claiming to be a Messenger and demanding to see the Sawshark, but eventually, she was let up to the sixteenth floor to see him.

"So am I to just take your word that this situation is taken care of?" the Sawshark asked when Nami declared the job a success.

"You can look in tomorrow's paper if you want," Nami suggested. "I bet his arrest will be there."

"Arrest?" the Sawshark repeated. He didn't look pleased.

"Yeah," Nami explained quickly. "He beat me up and told me he wouldn't quit selling or join because he was with the Don's Mafia or something like that. I couldn't beat him up because I'm not strong enough yet, but I made sure he couldn't sell anymore."

The Sawshark didn't look as though he was anymore sated with that explanation either.

"What was your involvement with the local law enforcement?" he asked.

"I told my mother that a boy was selling drugs at school and beat me up," Nami said. "She took me to see a cop and I said the same thing. That's all I said too."

The Sawshark appraised her for quite awhile. "I _suppose_ I can let you into my organization. You're pretty bright for such a young girl. And in time, I'm sure you'll become quite the looker. Very well. What's the price for your loyalty?"

Nami didn't hesitate. "Protection for myself, mother and sister from all rival factions."

The Sawshark raised an eyebrow at this. "Done. No other requests?"

Nami couldn't think of any, so she shook her head. "You sure my mother and sister will be okay, Mister Sawshark?"

"My dear," he laughed smoothly. "Call me Arlong. Just leave it to me. I always take care of things that are _mine."_

Nami felt a chill go through her at that statement, and for the first time of many times to come, wondered if this had actually been a bad idea. But she was just happy that she was able to protect the ones she loved from danger.

In retrospect, she probably should have asked for more in compensation. But at that time, Nami was only ten years old and had no idea that the day would come that she would become a Mermaid.

* * *

 **A/N:** I've been debating on and off about the next chapter for a few days now. As you can tell, the worst my 'M' rating has gotten is a few 'F'-bombs here and there along with some crude language. Well that changes in the next chapter. Adult situations happen in the next chapter, to put it politely. Not sure if it's worth posting it here and possibly getting it reported. So let me know what you think.


	7. Chapter Seven: Nami

**A/N:** I finally, after some humming and hawing, decided to post this chapter. What the hell. If it gets reported and pulled, so be it. I tried to not write flat out porn, so I think I managed to artfully capture the awkwardness of sex. Because it is awkward. And funny. And hot. Moving on...

This fic is rated M, so no surprises I hope. This is your content warning. Language, sexual content and sexual situations occur. Don't like, don't read.

* * *

 **Chapter Seven: Nami**

Nami didn't remember returning home that night. She didn't remember if she spoke with her mother or sister, or how she made it into bed. All she could think of were those nine words of doom.

 _You, my dear, are going to become a Mermaid._

She couldn't reconcile herself to her fate. It made her physically ill to try. She must have looked something awful the next morning too, because Bell-mère stopped her on her way out of the house to make sure she was well enough to go. The last thing Nami wanted to do was spend the day stuck at home thinking about her fate, so she lied and told her mother she was fine.

She was not fine.

Unfortunately, school didn't prove to be the distraction she needed, despite her hopes. They were reviewing for their final exams and Nami already knew the material enough that attention wasn't necessary. She made it through only the first period of class before having to bolt to the bathrooms where she became sick.

She didn't bother going back to class; she went straight to the nurse's office. All the old woman needed was one look at her to agree; Nami shouldn't have come to school. Bell-mère was called and Nami was allowed to leave to go home, assuring both the old woman and her mother on the phone that she could make it there on her own.

But Nami didn't go home. Not directly, anyway. She walked to the nearest convenience store and hid a bottle of whiskey in her book bag. It didn't take much effort, since Nami had learned to steal things much harder to conceal when she was only eight years old.

Electing _not_ to take the train since she didn't want to get there any faster than necessary, Nami began the hour's walk home. She didn't make it more than half way before she stopped, still not interested in the prospect of sitting at home, even _with_ the bottle of liquor. She found a nice park that had no patrons in it and sat on a bench, staring at the pigeons as they pecked the ground for food and opened the bottle of whiskey.

It was in this way, staring at nothing and quickly going through the bottle of liquor, that the blonde found her. She hadn't even heard him approach, which normally would have set off warning bells in her head, but she blamed it on the whiskey. By now, the bottle was half empty and Nami was more than a little buzzed. But that was the point. She didn't want to have the capacity to think anymore.

"Hard day?" the blonde asked, as he flopped down on the bench beside her. Startled, Nami had to take a moment to focus on him.

"Er—yeah," she answered noncommittally. He was taller than her; she could tell even when he was sitting down. Maybe a couple years older too, but not much. If he was twenty, she'd be surprised. His blonde hair was slightly long, but she guessed it was him imitating some sort of style, since in the front his hair had been combed over to cover half of his face.

She watched as he patted his chest and then his lap before digging into his pocket and fishing out a pack of cigarettes. He offered Nami one and she stared blankly at it for a moment before shaking her head no. He shrugged before producing a Zippo and lighting his cigarette.

After a long drag, he coughed vehemently.

"Those things will kill you, you know," Nami commented, raising the bottle to take another swig.

"So will that," the blonde responded when he could breathe again, pointing to her bottle.

"At least I can handle my liquor," Nami muttered as she returned the bottle to the bench at her side. "You look like you've never smoked before."

He laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "You caught me."

Perplexed, Nami gave up staring at the blonde and resumed pigeon watching.

"I thought if I smoked, I'd look cooler," he admitted, discarding the cigarette to the ground. "Oh well. So much for that."

Nami watched as the burning end of the cigarette slowly died out. What a stupid idea. Smoking to be cool? Really? Did people fall for that sort of bullshit advertising? Sounded like something straight out of a tobacco commercial.

"I should have never believed that Marlboro ad," the blonde lamented. Nami had the strong urge to drop her face into her palm.

Abruptly, the blonde grabbed the bottle of whiskey off the bench and took a long pull. Well, he could at least take liquor better than the cigarette. He didn't even flinch at the whiskey that had to be burning the whole way down.

"Hey!" she cried, reaching over to snag the bottle from him. "That's mine!"

He laughed, relenting it easily. "I needed to do something to clear out the taste."

Fucker.

"Get your own damn bottle," she groused, wiping the bottle off with her shirt before taking a swig herself. "Ugh! Backwasher!"

He laughed again. "Sorry."

He didn't sound remotely sorry at all. Nami held the bottle tightly with both hands in her lap as she glared at the pigeons that were still pecking the ground.

"So, what's so bad that you're drinking at—" he checked his watch, "—ten thirty in the morning on a Tuesday?"

"None of your damn business," she returned instantly.

"It can't be _that_ bad," he dismissed, leaning closer. Nami leaned away.

"Wanna bet?" she countered.

He grinned. "Sure. What are the stakes, milady?"

Nami didn't have to think long on them. "If I'm right, you have to do one thing I ask, no matter what it is."

He shrugged, unperturbed and clearly underestimating her problems. "Fine. I win, and you give up that bottle to me. That's some tasty whisky you got there."

"Deal," she agreed, sticking out her hand. They shook on it.

"It's a promise," he vowed. "So, what is it? What's so bad that you decided to drown yourself in a bottle of top shelf liquor?"

Nami took a deep breath and let it out slowly. This was the first time she was going to say it out loud. Somehow, she felt like it would be worse if she actually said it.

"I belong to the yakuza," she managed to say, though her voice threatened to give out at first. "I have belonged to them since I was eight. I've been forced to fight other gangs and steal in order to keep my family off the hit list. And—"

She faltered. Just when the words were about to come out, she lost her nerve.

"That sucks," he admitted after a long pause. "I'm not from around here, but I've heard that the East Blue was the worst of all the Blue suburbs in terms of organized crime."

"You have no idea," Nami agreed, taking another drink. Midway, the blonde reached out and grasped the bottle neck, forcing it down.

"That sucks, but it doesn't sound like a reason to partake in a bottle of Jack Daniels," he said. "Pay up."

Nami didn't let go of the bottle.

"Have you heard of Fishman Village?" Nami asked. He cocked his head to the side.

"Yeah, I've heard of it," he owned up, still pulling at the bottle. "Probably everyone who has ever walked off the straight and narrow has heard of it. What of it?"

"In Fishman Village, there are two kinds of active members," Nami told him. "Messengers and Enforcers. I was a Messenger."

He shrugged. "So?"

"I was given a promotion," she managed to say, though not without a grimace. "One I can't refuse."

She'd been unable to deny the promotion. When she'd tried, citing intelligence gathering of Baroque Works, her employer had stated that she was too valuable an asset to let roam the streets and incur such injuries as she had against the Black Cat gang. He'd patted her cheek and told her to return to him when the bruising had faded to take up her new mantel.

"You're an Enforcer now?" the blonde guessed skeptically.

"Do I look like I could be an Enforcer?" she snapped at him, yanking the bottle out of his grip. Some of the liquor sloshed out of the bottle and dribbled onto the ground. She ground her teeth in annoyance.

"Not really," he confessed with a laugh. "I mean, don't get me wrong, the high school uniform thing is hot, but it doesn't scream yakuza Enforcer."

Nami took another pull of the quickly dwindling liquor. "No it doesn't. But it doesn't matter, since I won't be wearing the uniform much longer anyway."

He grabbed the bottle back with a sharp tug. "I'm still winning the bet."

"There's another type of member of Fishman Village," Nami explained as the asshole blonde took another drink of _her_ whiskey. "An inactive one. I've been promoted to that."

She stared at the ground where the pigeons had been scared away from their violent movements. The blonde let the bottle drop to his lap and belched.

"So you don't have to beat the shit out of people anymore or steal," he predicted. "Doesn't sound so bad. What are you now, a money launderer?"

He seemed amused at the prospect as he took another drink from the bottle.

"I'm being promoted to a Mermaid," she confessed in a small voice. In her peripheral vision, she saw the blonde stop mid-drink and turn to regard her.

"A Mermaid?" he repeated. Apparently, he'd heard of it. Silence filled the space between them for awhile. "You're what, fifteen years old?"

"Sixteen," she corrected.

"Like that's any better," he muttered, thrusting the bottle back into her hands. "You win."

Though she knew she would, it didn't make her feel any better. She looked at the mostly gone bottle in her hands. Part of her was considering making him buy her another bottle, since he'd consumed at least a quarter of her first. But there was something much more important that she needed from him.

"Come on," she said, standing up and grabbing her book bag. She slid the bottle back in it since she was a minor and drinking on the streets was illegal anyway. "It's time to pay up. Let's go."

"Where?" he asked, getting up as well.

"Back to my house," she answered. "Unless you want to pay for a hotel."

"Huh?" was his response as he followed her out of the park.

She was doing something incredibly stupid, she knew, taking someone she hardly knew back to her home, but the alcohol was sucking away her caution. She didn't care.

"So why are we going to your house?" the blonde asked after a few minutes of walking. "You gonna make me grout your floors or something?"

"No," she answered. "You're going to fuck me."

He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. It took her a few moments to realize that he wasn't keeping pace with her anymore. She turned to look at him. He appeared completely stunned.

"You want me to what?" he asked.

"Fuck me," she repeated. Was he deaf? She didn't stutter.

Slowly, he took the last couple steps to her. "Why?"

"Because I don't feel like letting the yakuza sell my fucking virginity to some sick bastard!" she snapped. "I want this one thing to be on my own terms."

He was staring down into her eyes. He seemed so serious at that moment that Nami almost lost her nerve and wanted to break down crying. But she wouldn't back down, not on this.

"You promised," she reminded him. He grimaced and sighed heavily. He shifted his gaze across the street and chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment.

"Wait here," he muttered, crossing the street to convenience store. But Nami followed him, worried that he may try to sneak out of a back door and leave her out of luck if she let him out of her sight. She was only a few steps behind him as he passed aisles until he came to the hygiene aisle and went to the condom section.

"I told you to wait outside," he grumbled, grabbing a three-pack and pushing her towards the exit. "You live around here, don't you? You want someone to see you hanging around a guy buying condoms?"

He had reasoning behind his words, but Nami still didn't trust him to run.

"Give me something of yours," she insisted. "So that I know you won't ditch out on me."

He gave her a sour look and pulled his wallet out of his pocket. He fished out a thousand berry bill and pushed the wallet into her hand.

"Happy?" he asked. "Now go."

She made her way out of the convenience store while he dallied around a little, making sure the clerk didn't see them leave together. She waited for him across the street where they'd originally stopped. It took a couple of minutes, but he reappeared before her.

"I want you to know, that even though my morals are sometimes questionable," he told her, "that this is one that I'm having a hard time going against."

"Morals?" she repeated.

"I feel like I'm taking advantage of a vulnerable girl," he clarified. "One that is drunk to boot."

She rolled her eyes. She wasn't _that_ drunk. And she didn't think she was vulnerable either. She told him so.

"You should be doing something like this with your boyfriend," he complained. "Not some stranger off the street."

"Yeah, because there's oodles of time for a boyfriend when you belong to the yakuza," she returned. "I barely have any friends."

He looked surprised to hear that.

"It's not a good idea to have anyone important to you when you belong to the yakuza," she clarified. "So that they can't be used against you."

He remained silent as they continued toward her house. She thought about the three people who had the misfortune to be called her friends; Luffy, Zoro and Ussop. Well, technically, Kaya was probably her friend too, but Nami didn't worry about her too much. She was already half a world away with some random relative and far from the yakuza's reach.

"What if you didn't have to become a Mermaid?" the blonde asked out of the blue. Nami looked up at him in disbelief. "Would you still be throwing your virginity away to some stranger?"

"Probably not," she admitted. "But it's irrelevant to think like that. The only way I'm not going to become a Mermaid is if I happen to get knocked off before my 'debut'."

He sighed impatiently. "That's not the only way. You could ask for help."

"Help?" she repeated with a laugh. "From who? The police? Seventy-five percent of the East Blue police force is on the payroll of Fishman Village."

"I could help you," he offered. She snorted.

"What could you do?" she asked snidely. "One person versus hundreds of Fish. You'd get your head blown off in two seconds."

That pissed him off. He kicked a rock that was in their path farther down the road with a fierce strike.

"I _guarantee_ I'd last longer than two seconds," he muttered. Nami rolled her eyes but didn't argue. She didn't want to piss him off too much or he might refuse her. She seriously doubted she could stop him if he decided to make a break for it.

They had made it to her house by then. She unlocked the door and slipped her shoes off, but made him keep his on. She didn't want to have any incriminating evidence in the front hallway if her mother or sister came home early.

She led him up the stairs to her room, dumping her book bag on the floor as she walked in. The blonde followed behind, kicking his shoes off and dropping his jacket as he closed her bedroom door. Not one to dilly dally around, Nami pulled her top over her head and tossed it aside, quickly followed by her skirt. The blonde regarded her as she peeled off her socks.

"What?" she asked, perturbed by his stare.

"In a hurry?" he responded. She shrugged.

"Granted, I've never done this before, but I'm pretty sure we both have to be naked for this to go down," she pointed out. He smirked.

"You're right," he assented, taking one of her hands and bringing it to his lips. "But there are other things that come first. Taking our clothes off is half of the fun."

"Fun?" she repeated, deadpanned. He used the grip he had on one of her hands to pull her to him. His other arm slipped around her waist and held her close to him as he dipped his head and kissed the side of her neck.

"Yes, this is supposed to be fun," he informed her. "Pleasurable too."

She huffed an impatient sigh, but he was unruffled. Slowly, he made his way by trail of kisses from her neck, to her ear, onto her cheek, and finally to her mouth. She immediately pushed him away.

"Don't kiss me," she insisted. He pulled her back in.

"Why not?" he asked.

"I don't like kissing," she answered honestly.

"Too bad," he replied. "It's part of having sex."

She huffed again. He continued to kiss her, despite her protest. All the while, his hands were caressing parts of her body. Her back, her neck, her arm where the ugly bruise still lingered, and finally, across her breasts and butt.

"Take my shirt off," he instructed, putting her hands on his chest. Her fingers immediately went to the buttons, fiddling with them until they opened. He chuckled at her as she had some difficulty with the first two buttons.

"Take your own damn shirt off," she snapped, pushing him away again. She turned and sat down on her bed, crossing her arms. He smiled ruefully as he shucked the shirt to the floor.

"Don't get mad," he scolded. "You need to participate more. I wanted you to take my clothes off for me. It's a big turn-on."

"How do _you_ know how _I_ want to lose my fucking virginity?" she shot back. "I don't recall asking for any commentary."

He smirked, kneeling down in front of her. "I see that you tend to lash out when you're nervous."

So what if she did? Why the hell did he have to point it out? She began to feel like backing out again, but then it occurred to her that he might be doing it on purpose. He may be trying to get her to do exactly that. She decided to call him on his bullshit.

"Says the guy who's trying to get out of a free fuck," she retaliated. "I think you're the one that's nervous. This can't be _your_ first time, can it?"

She knew it probably wasn't, but she just wanted to get under his skin the way he was getting under hers.

"Yeah, right," he denied, sufficiently riled. "Ain't no first-timer gonna make you scream his name when I make you cum."

"I don't even know your name," she lazily pointed out. He opened his mouth to tell her, but she cut him off. "And I don't need to know. You just need to quit your damn stalling and get this show on the road. I don't want my mother coming home early and finding you here. It would be a pain in the ass to explain."

He gave her a slightly annoyed look before standing and dropping his pants to the floor. He awkwardly balanced on one foot as he pulled his socks off before leaning over her as she sat on the bed. She figured he was going to try to kiss her again, so she didn't give way to him, but instead, he put his hands on her hips and pushed her farther back on the bed. He then sat on the edge of it, pushing her knees apart and leaning over her again. He leaned forward and kissed the middle of her chest, reaching around behind her and popping her bra open with one hand.

Nope, definitely not a first-timer.

He pushed her down onto her back as he slowly slid the bra from her shoulders and tossed it away. He then took position over her chest again and leaned down to kiss different areas of her skin again. A couple of guys had tried to cop a feel before, so she wasn't really expecting much from him touching her breasts. But the difference between a couple layers of clothes and bare skin was apparently a large one.

His hands were slightly cool, and it tingled when he ran his rough finger tips across her skin. Especially the underside of her breasts. For whatever reason, she was super sensitive there. Only two brushes of his hands there had her nipples hard. It seemed stupid to describe the sensation as tightening in her mind, but that's what it felt like when he ran his thumbs over her nipples.

The sensation was very overpowering when he ran his tongue from the underside of her breast to her nipple and then closed his mouth over it. When he grazed his teeth against her nipple, she jerked so hard that she nearly kicked him off the bed.

"Easy now," he said, putting a hand on her leg and pushing it back down to the bed, covering it with his own leg so she couldn't unseat him again. Embarrassed, Nami tried to push him away when he attempted to lean back down to her breast. "Quit wiggling."

"You quit," she replied. "I don't like it."

"Liar," he accused. He gently blew against her damp skin. The tightening sensation only grew. She pushed her hands against his chest so he had to back away. He sighed in annoyance and gave her an appraising glance.

"I know this is your first time, so there's no reason for you to be self-conscious," he told her. "Nothing I'm going to make you do is any reason to get embarrassed."

Like hell! It wasn't him who wanted to moan in pleasure or arch his back and a number of other embarrassing things.

"What are you gonna make me do?" she asked apprehensively.

"Make you cum so hard that you see stars," he stated with a sly smile. She swung at him in an attempt to slap him. He caught her arm and easily pushed it back down onto the bed. "You want me to fuck you or not?"

"This isn't fucking!" she snapped at him.

"Sure it is," he replied."We aren't exactly having afternoon tea and playing Bridge here."

That was not what she meant and he knew it. She attempted to slap the smug smile off his face with the other hand, but he caught that one two.

"Take it easy," he told her. "We'll get there. Don't be in such a rush."

Her alcohol buzz was starting to wear away and this was beginning to feel less and less like a good idea. That's why she wanted to rush. Otherwise she really would be in danger of chickening out. But to her good luck, the blonde released her hands to slip his thumbs beneath the sides of her underwear and slip them down her legs.

Finally. They were getting somewhere.

Or not.

Instead of climbing over her once again like Nami expected, he stopped midway and leaned over her hips. She immediately knew what he planned on doing and sat forward to push him away, but he caught both of her wrists in one of his hands and pinned them to the bed.

"No! I don't want—"

It was too late. Her legs were pinned splayed beneath him so when he leaned his face down put his mouth on her labia, she couldn't do anything but squeal in protest. And it was a squeal because her mind couldn't form words, much to her irritation.

No one had touched her there but herself, and she certainly wasn't doing the things he was doing. So suddenly having someone foreign there, say licking, sucking, and nipping at parts of her, was very traumatizing at first. But only at first. Because it quickly became very pleasurable, despite her very high doubts on the matter.

As much as she tried, she couldn't keep quiet. No words passed her lips, but embarrassing whimpers, moans, and gasps escaped her. She was pulling at her trapped hands with all her might, not because she wanted to escape, but because she needed to hold onto something. The bed sheets, his head, whatever. She just needed something.

Her wish was finally granted after she arched her back off the bed so high that her hips jerked away from him. He let go of her hands to pull her hips back and then hold them there. She tried grasping at the bed sheets first, but her hands were slick with sweat and they slid off the sheets when she tugged too hard. So her hands went to his head, sliding through his slightly shaggy blonde hair and fisting there.

"Easy, babe," he beckoned. "I don't want to be bald after this."

She wanted to give him a snide remark in comeback, but she was panting too hard. She had thought his playing with her breasts was bad for her sanity; this was much worse. She doubted she would be able to look him in the eye after this.

His mouth was on her again, and focusing on what had to be her clitoris. Yeah, she'd taken an anatomy class just like everyone else, but she wasn't one of those 'body curious' people who had to sit down with a mirror pointed at her crotch to make sure she was anatomically correct. She knew she was. Or at least she used to know. Because her mind was quickly turning into a puddle of nothing and she wasn't sure she knew anything anymore.

The hands grasping in his hair became leverage for her when she started to push him away again, overwhelmed by sensation.

"I can't!" she exclaimed, somehow finding words, but only a few, and not enough to express the feelings overwhelming her. "I can't!"

"Yes you can," he assured her, before pulling her hands from his hair and going down on her again.

No she couldn't! No matter what he said. She was going to explode or melt or _something_ if he didn't stop. But he didn't stop and she did explode, crying out loudly as an orgasm took her and her body began to tense and release over and over. He didn't stop sucking on her until she had stilled and fallen back onto the bed, panting.

"See? You made it through alive."

His cajoling voice irritated her and she wanted to scowl at him, but she was too busy scowling at the wall since she had turned her head away from him. She was right; she couldn't look at him anymore. She felt a light tug on her pubic hair.

"I usually like my women clean shaven," he commented. "But it's nice to know you're a natural red head."

Anger overrode irritation and she looked at him, raising her hand to slap him again. He caught her hand and smirked, leaning down to kiss her.

"No! Absolutely not!" she shouted, using her free hand to block his mouth. "You are not kissing me after you did that!"

He rolled his eyes at her. Pulling away, he got off the bed and strolled over to her book bag and fished out the whiskey bottle. He swirled the small amount of liquor around in the bottle; there was probably only two or three sips left. He hung his head back and dumped the last of the liquor into his mouth, swishing it around and gargling like it was mouth wash. He then spit it back into the bottle and recapped it.

"There. Anything you think is gross has been sterilized by the alcohol," he told her, going to his jeans on the floor and digging into the pocket, pulling out the pack of condoms. "And since you're that picky about what goes near your mouth, I doubt I'll ever get you to return the favor."

No, Nami definitely didn't want to give him a blow job. She felt guilty for a few seconds before she remembered she hadn't wanted him to give her oral, and tried to stop him several times. All guilt washed away at that thought.

Nerves replaced it as she watched his boxers fall to the floor. Yes, she'd taken anatomy, but there was something different about seeing an erect penis in the flesh versus in drawings in a textbook. She tried not to look at it as he rolled a condom on, since it would only make her more nervous, and worked on looking at his face instead.

He was staring at her in assessment. He must have seen something in her eyes, because he sat down on the edge of the bed, but did not lean over her again.

"It's not going to be as bad as you think it is," he promised her. "It usually only hurts because girls tense up the first time."

"Yeah, because you're totally a girl and know what it feels like," she quipped, attacking out of nervousness again. She wouldn't apologize though.

"Just relax," he commanded gently, scooting closer and leaning over her a little, but no skin was touching. "It's going to be fine."

"I know," she hissed. He just didn't understand that all of his reassurances were falling going to fall on deaf ears.

Slowly, very deliberately, he stretched himself across her. She jerked involuntarily when _that_ part of him touched _that_ part of her.

Fuck. What was she, twelve? She couldn't even be mature enough in her mind to think the body parts?

"Relax," he repeated in a whisper as he leaned down and kissed her lips. Thankfully, the only thing she could taste was whiskey. That reassurance settled her a tiny bit.

His kisses were different now. If she had to describe them before, she would have chosen to call them an attempt to entice her. Probably trying to get her in the mood or something. These, though, were different. They were slow, gentle, and, well, intimate. She somehow felt closer to him now than she had before, which sucked because she was trying to avoid intimacy altogether.

But she couldn't avoid this. And for some reason she couldn't contemplate, she wanted to kiss him back. He was caressing her cheek gently with one hand while his other arm had snuck beneath her to wrap around her waist. She felt compelled to match the movement.

Timidly, one hand found its way to the small of his back. He didn't seem to notice that, but when her hand rose to his face and aimed to sweep the hair away that covered one side of his face, he moved his head away.

They didn't say anything out loud, but words passed between them. His were to back off, that wasn't allowed. Hers were to fuck off, he'd exposed all of her insecurities; he could deal with it. She took herself as the winner of that silent conversation and her hand resumed its trek. She ran her fingers through the silken blond hair and pushed it back, gazing up at his uncovered face for the first time.

He was right; she shouldn't have done that. The hair had been strategically placed there for a reason.

She couldn't meet his gaze as both of his eyes stared at her intensely and she let the hair fall back into place. Knowing that she'd really messed up the mood, she tried to ignore the faux pas and initiated kissing for the first time. She could tell he was irritated with her when it took him so long to respond, but eventually he did.

The kissing was not awful, and actually a little helpful in terms of distraction. She needed it when his hand moved away from her cheek to much farther down her body. Though his mouth had been there just a few minutes before, Nami still jumped when his fingers touched her labia. He caressed her gently there for a minute or so before dipping a finger inside of her.

As he'd predicted, she tensed up immediately. He waited until she relaxed a little bit before starting a slow, exploratory pumping motion. It was then that she realized how wet she was. Yeah, she'd had a few of what could probably be classified as female wet dreams, and had come out a little gooey when she'd woken up. But this was much different. For starters, there was much more of it. Now that his hand was moving around down there, she could feel how much there was. Second, it wasn't gooey as much as it was slimy.

Gross. All of her favorite fucking words to describe her in the middle of getting ready to have sex. So much more to be embarrassed about on a day where embarrassment knew no bounds.

He put another finger inside of her and her train of thought stopped. The first had simply felt odd, but this felt like an intrusion. There was too much there. She wanted to tell him to take the other finger out, but she was struck by the thought that two fingers was nothing in comparison to what he was going to put inside of her next.

That was a sobering thought. Very sobering.

As if he'd read her thoughts, his fingers went away but were replaced by something much thicker. She felt the bulbous tip of him enter her and she jerked again.

"Stop!" she cried, suddenly terrified. He did as commanded, no longer moving or kissing her. He gave her an appraising look.

"It's okay," he promised her, but it wasn't. She could feel her bottom lip quivering and her eyes stinging. She hid the ridiculous sight of her face in his shoulder. He kissed the side of her head.

It occurred to her that he'd been waiting for this to happen. All of the evaluating looks he'd been giving her was really just him waiting for her to break down like this, because he knew she would.

"It's normal to be scared," he assured her, but Nami didn't think he was just talking about the situation that they were in. He was probably also referring to her life in general.

She spared a quick glance at him, thinking that she must have somehow won the lottery with this random guy. How could he be so nice and supportive and generally not douchy? She had the urge to learn more about him and make him a presence in her life, but those were futile things. He knew far too much about her already and she was going to be locked away as a whore in a matter of days.

Right. Back to the purpose of this. Nami took a deep breath and held it in for a moment, recollecting herself. She could do it.

"It's alright," she told him, working to relax her body so he would believe her. He gave her a sidelong glance before kissing her again.

"Stay relaxed," he instructed, beginning to push in again. She did okay until he reached her hymen. With some pressure and a popping sensation, her hymen was gone and she tensed like a bow string. He stilled for a couple moments.

"Just a little bit more," he told her, though his voice was a little strained now. Despite her tensing up, he continued to push in until she felt like every organ in her body was being squished out of the way to make room. Finally, he bottomed out.

She had both her arms encircling him, her nails dug deeply into his back. She knew it couldn't be pleasant for him, but she felt like she couldn't let go either, since he might move and she absolutely didn't want him to do that. Of course, he did anyway. She dug her nails in deeper, trying to stop him through pain or just to hold him still by force.

"Not yet," she pleaded with her face buried in his shoulder, sounding pathetic and whiney in her own ears.

"I'll go slow," he assured her, but she wasn't sure going slow would be any better.

It felt weird and foreign and that was probably most of the reason she didn't like it. Her insides were pushed and pulled by his intruding appendage (nope, still not mature enough to think the word yet) and she honestly couldn't understand what was so alluring about the whole act.

At first.

It maybe took a good five minutes for her to get over the feeling of weirdness. That was probably also when she started to untense and her mind was able to focus on other things. She spared a glance at him and noticed the look of concentration on his face. He was braced up on one forearm while the other arm held her stationary to him, and his eyes were closed as he leaned his forehead on the mattress.

She was still watching his face when her vaginal muscles spasmed, probably due to the intrusion, and she watched his face twitch in reaction as he hissed through his teeth. She realized how much self-control he was using at that moment. She didn't feel guilty, but she did feel grateful.

Infinitesimally, she felt him begin to increase his pace. It didn't bother her too much and she figured he had to be getting pretty close to the limit of how much slow torture he could endure. She became aware of the noise of her bed creaking from the movement and the sound of skin slapping together. His breath was becoming labored in her ear and soon he was braced on both forearms and kissing her again.

Between them, her breasts wobbled back and forth, with her nipples occasionally brushing against his chest. Her legs, which for awhile had been glued to his hips as he moved, were now bent at the knees and splayed at her sides. The thrusts had become less controlled and more rough, were coming much faster now.

This wasn't too bad, Nami had to admit. The feeling was pretty nice and getting better as time wore on. But nothing lasted forever and soon the snap of his hips into hers was abrupt and staccato before he tensed up and slowed to a crawl.

Breathless with exertion, he fell onto her for a few seconds before rolling to the side and pulling her with. He panted for a few moments before kissing her again, long and lazily.

"That wasn't so bad, was it princess?" he asked between pants.

Nami made a face at the term of endearment. "I guess not, honey-bunny."

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"What?" she asked. "I thought we were trying out pet names for each other."

He smirked, finally breathing normally again. She felt him slip out of her and despite herself she jerked a little. As her insides felt like they were returning to normal, she watched him slide off the condom and tie it off. He tossed it into the small trash can next to her desk.

"So what did you think?" he inquired, throwing his hands back behind his head as he lounged on her bed. She raised her head from his chest to look at him.

"It was alright, I guess," she answered honestly. He gave her a sour look.

"Only alright?" he repeated. "I believe I had you moaning in pleasure at one point."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You're just mad because you didn't end up making me scream your name."

He smirked at her and leaned up to kiss her. She broke it off quickly. Now that they were done having sex, the kissing was back to being a gross annoyance.

"You better get dressed," she told him, rolling off of him and sitting up. She gathered up her strewn clothes and deposited them in the hamper. "I don't want my mother to come home early or something and catch you."

He sat up too, but made no move to get dressed. She ignored him as he watched her go to her dresser and pull out a fresh pair of underwear and some lounge pants. She found a tank top to put on and noticed that he still hadn't moved. For good measure, she picked up his boxers and threw them at his face. He caught them mid-air.

"Let me help you," he implored, setting the boxers on the bed. Nami gave him a dark look.

"You did help me," she replied, gathering up the rest of his clothes too. "You helped me make sure that my first time having sex wasn't with some sycophant who gets his jollies from popping cherries."

She dumped his clothes onto his lap and put the discarded boxers on the top of the pile. She then began to strip the bed sheets so he had to get up. With an irritated sigh, he finally started putting on his clothes.

Nami took the bed sheets down to the laundry room and started the cycle. She was about to return to her room and drag the blonde's ass out of her front door regardless of his state of dress when she bumped straight into him, already fully clothed. On silent feet, he'd followed her to the laundry room.

"Why can't you ask for help?" he asked her, putting his arms around her back and pulling her flush against him. He tried to kiss her again, but she turned her head away.

"I don't want your help," she dismissed, pushing against his chest to dislodge him. He only tightened his grip and kissed her ear since it was turned to him.

"Yes you do," he contradicted. "You want help very badly. But you've spent so long pretending that you're fine and pushing people away that you are frightened by the very idea."

His words hit so close to home that she felt physical pain. She went to her usual standby when it came to not knowing what to do and lashed out at him.

"Do you want to die that badly?" she half yelled at him. "Because that's what'll happen! And I'll have to watch—and you—and you—"

She stopped pushing against his chest and instead covered her face with her hands. She refused to cry in front of him. She hadn't cried in front of anyone since she was a child, and she wasn't breaking that streak now. Especially not in front of some stranger.

But her walls were crumbling. Normally, Nami was good at building walls between herself and other people but the blonde seemed to be good at tearing them down as fast as she built them. All the more reason for him to leave sooner.

"You need to go," she spoke through her hands, as steadily as she could. "Now."

He sighed and continued to hold her for a minute before finally letting go. He dragged her hands away from her face long enough to kiss her cheek and turned out of the laundry room. He walked straight to the front door and let himself out.

She didn't know why she followed him, but if she had to rationalize it, she'd have to put it to making sure he didn't do something stupid, like linger around the gate of her house to talk to her mother or sister when they came home. But he walked out of the gate and closed it behind him and turned back the way they'd come.

After only a few steps, he turned to look at her. She felt embarrassed, being caught spying after him, but didn't look away. He gave her a brilliant smile even as she scowled at him.

"Just so you know," he called to her, "the name's Sabo. And you can't stop me from trying to help you."

He turned and continued on his way down the street.

* * *

 **A/N:** Review please. I really would like to know what everyone thought of this chapter. #theawkwardnessofsex


	8. Chapter Eight: Nami

**Chapter Eight: Nami**

Why had she done that?

Nami wrestled with an endless loop of thoughts. First and foremost was, why had she taken home a complete stranger and slept with him? In the East Blue? He could have been a homicidal maniac. Was she _trying_ to die?

Maybe.

Nami contemplated that as she sat at her desk, staring blankly at the test before her. It was algebra; technically not very difficult subject matter for her. But she couldn't bring herself to concentrate on it. The next turn in her loop of thought brought her to nine words that were still trying to dominate every thought in her head.

 _You, my dear, are going to become a Mermaid._

Those were bad enough, bringing her back to the inevitable depression and hopelessness that she had been struggling with before she had gone to get drunk in a park. But now another set of words were also rattling around in her head.

 _Just so you know, the name's Sabo. And you can't stop me from trying to help you._

Just another person who could get hurt, or worse, from being around her. Which inevitably brought her full circle with her thoughts to why she had ever brought home the stranger named Sabo in the first place.

Thankfully, she had never told him her name. He had nothing more to go on than that she was about to be a Mermaid for Fishman Village. He'd never find her boss's stronghold. No one did, unless they knew a Fish personally.

But the words he'd said had pierced her deeply. She did want help. Very badly. But there was no such thing as hope for her. The best she could do was fulfill her duty as a Mermaid and keep Bell-mère and Nojiko out of the line of fire. All she had to do was give up everything.

Everything. Her family. Her friends. School. Life. Her future. Her dream…

When her mother had come home that Tuesday, Nami had been sitting in the hall, barely recovered from her bout of tears since the Sabo's declaration. Obviously looking pretty bad, Bell-mère had asked her why she was in the hallway. Nami had answered mechanically that she meant to switch out her laundry. When asked why she felt the need to wash her sheets when she was obviously sick, Nami had lied and said she'd thrown up on them.

Bell-mère actually considered taking her to the hospital. Nami talked her out of it in the end, but she couldn't talk her mother out of holding her at home the next day due to illness, exam reviews begotten. Nami had been held home from school for the rest of the week.

But when the following Monday came, Nami had insisted on going to school for exams, wanting to finish out the semester, though she knew she wouldn't finish out the year. For some reason, Nami had felt compelled to complete it, if only for herself.

The boys had noticed too. They had all inquired as to where she'd been, and Zoro had even thrown a random insult on her appearance, but must have been put off by her lack of reply. The whole of the morning, they had been giving her worried glances. But she simply sat at her desk waiting for class to start and mostly ignored them. Still, once the first test was handed out, Nami's mind fled her.

She forced herself to look at the first question. It was fairly easy; a simple find 'x' equation. But the effort to solve it was excruciating. Looking up at the clock, she saw she had wasted away a half an hour of test time. At this rate, she was never going to finish the exam.

Frustrated with herself, Nami laid her head on the desk. What was the point? Why was she so gung-ho about finishing out the semester? It didn't matter. She wouldn't be returning after summer break so why was she sitting through these stupid exams?

Because she wanted to pretend for just a little bit longer that she was a normal teenage girl. She wanted to feel like this was the most important thing in her life right now, not the stupid promotion she'd been given. That today belonged to her and not some jackass head of the yakuza.

She sat up and concentrated on her test again. She got through a few more questions. She could do it. She kept telling herself that as she went through the questions as quickly as she could. Somehow, she made it through all of the test questions before the examination time was over.

Miss Nico gave her a look of concern when she turned in her exam. Nami ignored it and returned to her seat, waiting for the next exam to begin. Somehow, she made it through geography and grammar as well. When the final bell rang to release them, Nami was slow to stand and last to leave the room.

In the halls, three idiots awaited.

"Still grounded," Nami spit out when she saw Luffy open his mouth. She knew he was going to try to talk her into doing something after school and she was sure she wouldn't be able to put on a happy façade for them. She was not wrong.

"Can we walk you to work?" he asked sheepishly. "We never get to hang out with you."

Nami sighed hard. That was the point. The more she hung out with them, the more dangerous it would be for them. And the worse it would be when she ultimately left them.

But then again…

She was going to lose everything in a matter of days. Why couldn't she spend time with the only people who had ever tried to be more than just a general acquaintance with her? To say goodbye to them in her own way, even though they would not know it meant for a longer period than just for the night? After all, they were just asking to walk her to work.

"Fine," she consented with a put on huff. She didn't want them to think she liked them or something. Despite this, Luffy burst out into a huge grin while Ussop rooted for their success in the air. Even Zoro didn't look too opposed to spending time in her company.

Together they boarded the train that sent them to a rare part of the city that was not completely under the control of Fishman Village. Not to say that it wasn't claimed. Nami knew that the area that housed Smoker's attorney's office was _formerly_ claimed by the Don Krieg. Formerly being the operative word, since the information she'd given to her boss that fateful day had been that the Don Krieg mafia had been recently ransacked by Garp's men and were down to only twenty percent of their former ranks.

It was too good an opportunity to pass up. Her employer had sent his infamous Trio, Hachi, Chew and Kuroobi, to finish off the so-called mafia and claim the territory. That had been a week ago. No doubt, the area had come close to changing hands without Smoker being any wiser. But as to occupying the area, that took more finesse. Manpower had to be shifted from one area to another and was likely not done yet. Nami guessed that it would be another week or so before Fish started roaming the area.

It didn't matter. She likely wouldn't see any of it. It was a sobering thought, but Nami tried her best to ignore that fact. She somehow managed to smile and laugh at the typical antics of Luffy and Ussop on the train as they tried to rope Zoro into their craziness. They were not very successful.

When they left the train, Nami did a cursory glance out of habit to make sure her estimate on the move in time of the Fish was accurate. She didn't want any Fish ratting to her boss about her hanging out with a bunch of people who could be classified as 'friends.' She didn't need any more people to be able to be used against her.

Thankfully, she saw no one she knew. As they began walking towards Smoker's office, Nami smirked at the boys, amazed that she was able to put maintain a pleasant mood. For some reason, she didn't have to work as hard around them.

"So you rode the train all the way out here just to walk me to work," she summed up as they turned down the street of Smoker's office. Luffy grinned at her while Ussop nodded enthusiastically. "It was a sad waste of five hundred berries, if you ask me."

"It was fun!" Luffy insisted.

"But you have to pay to ride back to the other side of town," Nami pointed out. "If you think paying for things that are pointless is fun, I have a few things of mine you could pay for."

Luffy laughed, unruffled.

"The food's good out here," Ussop put forth. "We could go get something to eat and head back."

Nami shrugged and rolled her eyes. "So your answer to wasting money on a pointless train ride is to waste more money on food."

"No money spent on food is ever a waste," Luffy insisted, sounding very serious. Nami couldn't help herself. She laughed.

"If you say so," she conceded. She could see Smoker's office across the street. "Look, if you want to visit the food district, it's two blocks that way. I'm gonna go to work. Have fun."

She gave the three of them a small wave as she casually checked for cars and jogged across the street. As she made it to the door, she looked back one more time to see the three of them still standing there and surprisingly, looking very deep in conversation. Well, as deep as those three could get, anyway, which Nami figured to be somewhere between the depth of a puddle and a pothole.

Stepping into the office, she was startled to be confronted immediately by her mother.

"What? Am I late?" Nami asked, looking around for a clock. No, she wasn't late. It was only quarter to three.

"How were your final exams?" Bell-mère asked, trying to be nonchalant, but the stance she had with her hands on her hips gave her away instantly. She was in interrogation mode. For what, Nami had no clue.

"Fine I guess," Nami shrugged. "Math, geography and grammar. Pretty easy subjects."

"You look better than this morning," Bell-mère told her. "You still feeling sick?"

"I'm fine," she answered automatically. Nami had told her mother the same thing that morning in order to be allowed to go to school, but it seemed that Bell-mère had not been fooled.

"I'm not sure you should work today," Bell-mère assessed. "Maybe you should take it easy."

Nami shrugged. "I'll go home and study if you want."

Bell-mère put on a half-smile. "That's not what I meant when I said take it easy."

Nami gave her mother a confused look. "What do you want me to do? Read a book? There's not exactly a lot to do at home."

Bell-mère sighed and dropped her head. "For such a smart girl, you aren't getting what I'm trying to say."

When she looked up again, she pointedly looked beyond Nami out of the window. Nami turned to see the three idiots _still_ standing across the street. They looked like they were arguing now.

"You want me to go hang out with my friends?" Nami guessed. "I'm ungrounded?"

Bell-mère smiled widely. "Ungrounded, but still curfewed. I want you home by nine. After all, it is exams week. And no fighting."

"Okay," Nami agreed, smiling at her mom. She could hang out with her friends today, and maybe tomorrow, splurge in her now useless cash collection and buy a decent dinner to have with Bell-mère and Nojiko. A kind of goodbye dinner or sorts. Saying goodbye in these small ways became suddenly very important to her. "No fighting. I promise. I'll leave if the idiots start anything."

Bell-mère ruffled Nami's hair and pushed her towards the door. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"That's a short list," Nami retorted as she stepped out the door, smirking at her mom. She crossed back to the other side of the street and bonked Luffy lightly on the head. "What are you guys arguing about?"

Luffy again looked very serious. "I want okonomiyaki. Ussop says that's too boring and wants to go to a tonkatsu and Zoro just wants ramen."

"We can't decide where to go to eat," Ussop summed up, but Nami had already gathered that. She sighed heavily and shook her head at them.

"You three are worthless without me," she assessed, smirking. "Come on. Let's go to a new shudoku that opened up recently. I think it's called the Baratie."

"Don't you have to work?" Ussop asked, puzzled.

"I've been given the afternoon off," Nami told them. "And, for today at least, I am ungrounded."

Luffy let out a whoop and danced around in victory.

"Calm down, you idiot!" Nami chided, grabbing his arm to still him. "If you act like a hooligan, my mother will probably come out here and yell at all of us!"

As if on cue, all of them looked over to the windows of Smoker's office and saw Bell-mère staring at them. She grinned widely and waved.

"Come on," Nami said, pulling Luffy's arm down the street. "Before she calls us out for loitering."

They all walked down the street in the direction that Nami had pointed out earlier as the food district. They were slow to move along when they got there, since the guys were distracted by almost every food vendor on the street. But Nami kept nudging them along until they came to the shudoku called Baratie.

"This place looks to swanky for us," Zoro complained at the sight.

"I swear this place will serve you ramen," Nami told him, exasperated. "And it's not too swanky. Just because we can walk in and sit down versus get it off a yatai—"

"Alright, alright," Zoro interrupted. "Anything to get you to quit bitching at me."

The four of them walked into the newly opened restaurant and looked around. It was small, as a shudoku typically was, but not crowded. It could easily hold a group of probably forty to fifty people. Since it was still early in the day, there were only a few patrons scattered about, none of which paid them any mind when they stepped in.

"Welcome to the Baratie," greeted a young man around their age with golden yellow hair. "Shall I show you to—"

He stopped abruptly at the sight of them, even going so far as to drop the menus he was holding.

"Show us to what?" Luffy asked. "The closet? The bathroom?"

"The exit?" Zoro muttered under his breath. Nami elbowed him.

Suddenly, the blonde haired man dropped to his knees before them and clasped Nami's hand.

"What beauty has stepped forth into our humble restaurant to grace us with her presence?" the blonde cooed at Nami. "I am forever a marked man as of this day, for I have never before and likely will never again see such exquisite elegance with these unworthy eyes."

All four of them, even Nami, sweatdropped at the obvious over-complimenting.

"Uh, thanks," Nami said, breaking the utter silence that had gone on since the speech. "Can you show us to where we may sit?"

He was up in an instant, though he did not let go of her hand, and guiding them to a large booth in the corner of the room.

"Forgive me, I was too stunned by the sight of this orange-haired beauty to remember my place," the blonde spoke. "You look parched. Shall I fetch you a glass of water? No, perhaps a strawberry and honeysuckle lemonade? Surely such a sweet appearance speaks of a sweet tooth as well."

"Water's fine," Nami replied, not sure how to take the overzealous compliments.

"Can we have water too?" Ussop asked. The blonde looked behind him to where the three guys were trailing them.

"Eh? What? Fine, I suppose," he grumbled, then returned his attention to Nami. "I shall be back momentarily with your water, my angel."

With that, the blonde scurried away, but still with a swagger than couldn't be called anything less than ridiculous. Nami looked around at the three guys sitting with her in the booth and they all burst out laughing.

"He's got it bad," Ussop deduced, sniggering.

"What a moron," Zoro supplied.

"I like him," Luffy decided. "He's funny."

"He's quite the flirt," Nami agreed. "But I don't think it's all just for me. We need to see what happens when another girl comes in."

Before anything else could be said, the blonde came back with their waters. He gently set Nami's down while somehow managing to bow, whereas with the guys, he all but tossed the waters down onto the table.

"My dear lady, my name is Sanji, and I am here to serve you," he introduced, handing her a menu since he'd dropped the others he'd had when they'd entered. "Tell me, what may I get for you to delight your senses?"

Trying very hard to hold a straight face, Nami glanced at the menu briefly. There was too much to choose from when put so suddenly on the spot.

"What do you recommend?" she asked. The blonde named Sanji almost danced with delight.

"Well, there are many dishes that are worthy of your palette, but if I may be so bold, may I suggest my own special concoction?" he offered.

Nami hesitated. This could be really good, or really bad. It could end up like a bento from a school girl with hearts and love signs incorporated throughout it and taste like ass, or it could be something really good. She let the usual thing decide.

"How much is it?" she asked.

"For such a gorgeous angel as yourself, it will be compliments of the house," he told her. Well shit. It could be riddled with hearts and taste like burnt udon but as long as it was free…

"Sure," she smiled, handing him back the menu. Sanji looked as if he were floating as he turned to head back to the kitchen.

"Hey you piece of shit!" Zoro snapped. "Take our orders too!"

Sanji spun back around in an instant and was face to face with Zoro. "You'll get the scrapings off of my shoes and like it, you moss-haired cretin."

Zoro stood to face Sanji and give him a piece of his mind but Nami grabbed him by his neck tie and pulled him back down into the seat.

"Three more specials please, Sanji-kun," she requested in a voice that could only be called sickly-sweet. The effect was instant. Sanji straightened up into the well-behaved amorous waiter from before and began floating again.

"As my angel wishes," he bade as he went to the kitchen.

"What the hell, woman?" Zoro demanded, dislodging his tie from her grip. "That asshole was asking for it."

"Don't get us kicked out for fighting," Nami told him. "You definitely won't get a meal then."

"Didn't want to come here anyway," Zoro muttered.

"Hey, here comes another chick," Ussop pointed out. Nami gave him a disparaging look. "Sorry, I meant girl."

Indeed, another girl had walked in with what was obviously her boyfriend. Sanji appeared in from the kitchen and went over to the two, bowed lowly, and went as far as to kiss the girl's hand, much to the dismay of her boyfriend. But no declarations of love.

"You must be special," Luffy gathered, looking at Nami. She cringed.

"I swear, if any one of you lets this guy know my name, where I live, or what school I go to, I will bust your front teeth out myself," she threatened. Zoro smirked at her.

"No problem," he shrugged, an evil glint in his eye. "I'm sure he'll be satisfied with knowing where you work."

Nami raised an eyebrow. "Just as satisfied as everyone at school when they find out about the blender incident from seven years ago."

Zoro's grin dropped. He even paled a little. "You wouldn't dare."

"No I wouldn't," she shrugged. "Unless provoked."

"What blender incident?" Luffy asked, his interest piqued.

Nami and Zoro stared each other down for a long minute. Zoro broke eye contact first.

"How do you even know about that?" he muttered.

"Smoker keeps extensive files," Nami answered, gazing at her nails disinterestedly. "Dating back more than a decade. I know a lot of things about you, Zoro- _chan_."

Somehow, Zoro got paler at that statement even as the anger at the endearment registered. Before any other comment could be made, Sanji appeared from the kitchen, his arms carrying two trays of food. Dish after dish was set onto their table until the entire surface was covered in food that looked straight out of a cookbook and smelled like heaven. Nami was relieved to see no bento hearts at all.

"Four specials," he announced. The three guys dove in without preamble while Nami took her chopsticks in hand and smiled sweetly at Sanji.

"Thank you very much, Sanji-kun," she thanked in that overly sweet voice. Nami swore she saw hearts in his eyes at her praise.

"This lowly one deserves no such praise…" he went on, but Nami was saved—sort of—from listening to it when Luffy made a grab at one of her plates. She deflected with the chopsticks, barely missing stabbing his hand.

"No way, piggy-boy," Nami denied, having eaten with the guys before and knowing the food stealing would commence, "eat your own food or I will pin your hands to the table with my chopsticks."

When Nami looked up again at the silent young cook/waiter, he was the one sweatdropping. Nami smiled sheepishly, knowing it must look terribly unclassy from his point of view. Wanting to eat her own meal before it cooled, Nami dug in.

It. Was. Amazing.

There was no question about it; Sanji could cook better than any other cook Nami had ever eaten from in her entire life. _If_ he had been the one to cook. Deciding to test her curiosity, Nami looked again to Sanji, who was lingering near their table, in awe of the obvious lack of table manners shared by her three dinner companions.

"Sanji-kun," she called to him. He was by her side in an instant. "Tell me how you made this wonderful dish."

If he hadn't made it, she was sure he would go on about it being a secret that he couldn't reveal to any other soul or some bullshit like that. But instead of that, Sanji became another person entirely as he dropped down to their level and began describing the different techniques he'd used in cutting the vegetables, sautéing the meats, and seasoning the glazes. He looked like any other boy their age who was describing a long loved hobby.

The smile that she gave to him was genuine, and she was sure that the one she received back was too. No flirtations added.

Somehow, a chair was sidled up to their booth as they ate. Despite being a host/waiter/cook, Sanji spent quite a bit of time at the table with him. He and Zoro took cheap shots at each other, but otherwise the conversation at the table was amiable. Occasionally, Sanji would revert to his flirtatious self, but for the most part, he was just a nice guy.

It was nearly seven o'clock when a disturbance rocked the shudoku. A gruff, dirty looking man stumbled into the restaurant and sat himself at a table a few feet away from the booth where Nami and the guys sat. Doing his duty, Sanji stood and made his way over to the table.

It was the usual schpiel. _Welcome to the Baratie. My name is Sanji. How may I serve you?_

But Nami was tense as a bow string. She'd read that file she'd given to her employer front to back. She recognized the man instantly. Gin the Demon. The Don's number two man. Known throughout the underground for his cruelty. An enforcer for the Don Krieg's mafia. The list of suspected murders and connections with brutal assaults was two pages long.

The man, Gin, reached up and grabbed a fist full of Sanji's shirt and yanked it down to his level.

"Listen here, _boy_ ," Gin's gravelly voice spoke, "you're going to go back to that kitchen and get me a plate of something. I don't care what. I ain't eaten in three days, so you better be fucking quick about it. It ain't wise to piss of one of the Don's men."

"The Don?" Sanji repeated, obviously unaware of who he spoke of.

"Krieg. The Don of this neighborhood," Gin clarified. "The one you pay for protection."

Sanji yanked himself out of Gin's grip. "Sir. We pay no one for _protection_."

Nami was shaking in her seat. So much so that Zoro had noticed. He was staring at her instead of the altercation that took place just one table away.

"Well, you can start by bringing me some fucking food," Gin snapped, losing his patience. "And why don't you empty your cash register while you're at it."

"I suggest you leave," Sanji advised. "We only serve _paying_ customers here."

Gin stood abruptly from his chair, knocking it away. He tried to grab for Sanji again but the young man deflected Gin's fist. Nami was just getting up from her seat to stop them and tell Sanji she'd pay for Gin's meal when a man she hadn't noticed beat her to the punch.

Literally.

The man had a long, braided mustache and a tall chef's hat. He also had a shuffle in his walk that indicated that one leg wasn't working as well as it should have. It did nothing to hinder his fist, though. The new man punched Gin hard in the jaw and sent him down to the ground.

The surprising thing was that Gin did not get back up. Nami looked on wide eyed as the ruthless enforcer of the Don's mafia huffed on the ground, made two or three attempts to get up, but ultimately stayed there. Then it hit her: he'd no doubt had a run in with the Trio.

 _I ain't eaten in three days._

The Trio had been exterminating the last of the Don's mafia for the last week. No doubt, Gin had been in an altercation with one or two, or possibly even all three of her employer's own enforcers and had to lay low. His usual strength and ferocity had been depleted and he had not been able to recover. Hence, his stopping in for a meal.

"As the boy said," spoke up the chef, "we pay for protection to no one. And if all you have is idle threats to stand on and no real money, he's right. You need to leave. Now."

Gin began pulling himself up with the help of a nearby chair. The look on his face clearly stated that he wasn't planning on leaving, and the chef must have noticed as well. He grabbed Gin roughly by the neck and dragged the man toward the door. With one final shove, Gin left their view.

Sanji and this cook had just made a very dangerous enemy. Nami looked to them, worrying for their safety. Whether or not this area was soon to become a part of Fishman Village or not, angering a former mafia enforcer would not go without consequence.

After the disturbance, Sanji did not immediately return to their table. Nami considered it a blessing, because what she was about to do was very stupid and she didn't want to have Sanji following her like a lost puppy, like she thought he might.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom," she told the guys as she stood from their booth. "Be back in a bit."

Ussop and Luffy paid her no mind, already gossiping like old women about the altercation that had just taken place. Zoro gave her the disbelieving eye, but stayed seated. Nami went to the area indicated to lead to the bathrooms. Luckily, it was near the back exit, which was propped open by a plastic crate for air circulation probably.

Bypassing the bathrooms and stepping over the crate, Nami walked into the back alley that was full of garbage bins and back doors to other establishments. She was not surprised to see Gin at the opening of the alley, either trying to assemble his injured pride or trying to walk off his wounds unsuccessfully.

What she was doing was ludicrous. She had no business doing what she was about to do, but Nami had one fatal flaw: she inherently needed to take care of people. Sanji, in the short afternoon she had known him, had become someone she felt obligated to protect, the same way she had felt pushed to protect Ussop and Kaya despite knowing nothing about them beyond their names.

So Nami took a step towards the dangerous enforcer, fully intending on giving him the usual threat: this area was now protected by Fishman Village, and if he valued what was left of his life, he would beat it and not consider coming back. Her threat was going to be fleeting at best; she had no real power besides a mean fist to back her up against a man that was probably as dangerous as the men in her own yakuza, but hopefully, the threat would reach the beaten and battered Gin.

But before Nami could take a second step, she heard someone coming towards the back door from inside the restaurant.

"Eat shit, old man! I'll do as I please!"

Nami recognized Sanji's voice and internally cursed, hiding behind the semi-open door. Had he seen her go outside? Was he following her?

Sanji walked out of the door and headed towards the mouth of the alley, passing Nami unawares. Nami watched the blonde cook, perplexed, as he took a Styrofoam container towards the man who he had just kicked out of the restaurant.

Gin, who was no longer standing, didn't seem to notice Sanji's approach as he sat at the mouth of the alley clutching his middle. Only when Sanji stood directly next to him did Gin look up. The surprise was evident on his face.

"The fuck do you want?" Gin snapped. "Trying to get your own punches in?"

Sanji set the Styrofoam container on the ground in the space between them, and then sat down himself. From one side of his jacket he pulled chopsticks and from the other pocket, a pack of cigarettes. He set the silverware on the Styrofoam and slid it closer to Gin.

"I thought you might be more amenable to civil conversation in return for a meal," Sanji replied, lighting his cigarette and taking a long drag. "Now that you're not trying to show off."

Gin looked a little insulted, but hunger obviously won out. He picked up the container and popped it open. Nami saw from where she stood, still hiding behind the back door of the restaurant, that it was heaping full with food.

Gin dug in. It was at least a good half a minute before any other conversation was to be had.

"Why?" Gin asked between bites, then went back to shoveling food into his mouth.

"I've gone three days without food too," Sanji answered, shrugging. "Actually, it was a lot longer than that. But the point is, I know how that feels. And I vowed that as long as it was in my power, I'd never let someone go hungry again. I don't think anyone should have to feel the effects of starvation."

Nami knew exactly what he meant, figuratively, if not literally. She had been in the clutches of utter despair before and always felt compelled to save others from being in the same situation, any way she could. It was most of the reason she'd come out to this alley.

"You're stupid," Gin told him, between bites again. He took a longer pause to regard Sanji critically. "I could be a man who holds vendettas. You could be feeding the tiger that could come back and bite that hand."

Sanji nodded slowly. "I understand that. But I still couldn't stand by and watch you starve."

Nami snuck back through the back door into the restaurant. She realized that up until that moment, she had been looking down on Sanji, feeling superior to him in a way, the same way she did with the guys waiting for her at the booth. It was an unfair thing for her to do. She was by no means superior to any of them. They all at least had the strength of character to be honest about themselves, whereas she did nothing but walk through life tied up in lies.

"You took forever," Zoro chided her when she sat down at the booth again. She didn't rise to his bait.

"I think I should buy you guys dessert," she announced, earning a huge smile from Luffy and a skeptical look from Ussop. "What?"

"Why would you buy us dessert?" Ussop asked. "Is this a trick?"

Nami leaned over the table and punched Ussop lightly in the arm. "No, doofus. I just want to thank you guys."

"For what?" Luffy asked.

"For being good friends," she answered. "I have to admit, I had my doubts in the beginning. But you guys are genuinely good people, and I have enjoyed having you as my friends."

"Well, shit," Zoro smirked. "Who knew? You really _are_ a chick. You do have feelings."

She elbowed him hard in the gut. "Go fuck yourself."

Zoro laughed as Sanji returned to join them. "And the tomboy who cusses like a sailor is back."

"Watch your mouth, snot for brains!" Sanji cursed. "Do not refer to such an elegant flower such as Nami as a tomboy or sailor."

The two bickered across the table at each other for a few minutes before Nami was able to put in her order for desserts. When he returned again with the desserts, the group was once again amazed at the delectable concoction Sanji brought them.

The evening wore on and though Sanji did have to manage the dinner rush of customers, he spent the majority of his time with them. It was over those easy-passing hours that they came to know more about Sanji.

He and his 'old man' Zeff had recently moved to East Blue from South Blue to open the Baratie. They had only opened about two weeks prior, and since Sanji had finished up at his old school early, he wasn't schedule to start school until after summer break. But he would be attending their school when the school year started up again.

Nami smiled warmly at the young cook, but it was ultimately tainted by the remembrance that she wouldn't be attending school next semester. Or at all anymore. Remembering the dark part of her life, Nami looked seriously at Sanji.

"I don't know what it was like in South Blue, but here it's dangerous," she told him. "We have gangs and mafias and yakuzas here, and they aren't a joke."

She pointed to Ussop and his still healing nose. "When they threaten you, they mean it."

Sanji looked down but smiled. "I assume you are referring to the man we threw out earlier."

Nami figured she didn't have to nod, but she did anyway.

"I thank you for your caution," Sanji said, "and your warning is heard. But I do not expect trouble from the likes of him. He is but a dog that has nothing left but his bark."

"Cornered animals can still bite you," Nami replied. "Just please be careful."

Sanji nodded, assuring her that he would as he snagged her hand and placed a kiss on it. He stood then, clearing the few dishes that were left on the table. Sanji had neglected picking theirs up and instead spent time loitering at their table when the last of the restaurant patrons had left. Noticing for the first time that they were the last ones there, Nami checked her watch before she pulled her purse out of her book bag and grabbed a few thousand berries to contribute to the bill.

"You're leaving?" Ussop asked, watching her stand.

"I have to be home by nine," she replied, shouldering her book bag. "I may not be grounded today, but I'm still on probation."

At the mention of the time, Ussop checked his watch and yelped. He too began digging for money and collecting his bag. Zoro and Luffy, apparently sensing the finality of the night, began ruffling for their wallets as well. Nami went to the door of the kitchen and poked her head in.

"We're taking off, Sanji," she called, not seeing the blonde but knowing he was back there somewhere. "It was nice meeting you."

In an instant, Sanji was at her side. He took her hand in both of his and began walking her to the door, back into his flirtatious mode and spouting compliments and even half-baked declarations of love. She smiled, shaking her head at his antics. At the door of the restaurant, they were blocked.

Two men stood in the doorway, taking up the entire space. Nami felt her stomach fall. Gin had returned, looking quite replenished from his meal, and in tow he had brought the Don himself, Krieg. Gin raised his hand and pointed at Sanji.

"This is the one I told you about," Gin said, looking up at his boss. The Don, who looked pretty worse for wear himself, stepped into the restaurant and with little disregard, pushed Nami out of his way as he stepped up to Sanji.

"You," the Don said, his voice ragged but still opposing. "You will feed me. And the rest of my men as well."

The dread that Nami had felt earlier when Gin had first arrived returned with a vengeance. This was not good. This was going to turn deadly any second. She looked at Sanji, trying to convey with her eyes how bad the situation was. She thought he understood.

He must have.

Because his expression changed to one of fixed determination and he took her arm gently but firmly and pushed her out of the now open doorway. The door to the restaurant closed behind her, and she knew she heard a lock slide into place.

He had just gotten rid of her to spare her the fight he had to know was coming.

Nami stood dazedly on the walkway in front of the restaurant for a moment before moving over to look in one of the windows. She felt sick when she spied Zoro, Ussop and Luffy still in the corner, not having left the booth yet. But worse were the expressions that they wore. They had the same look of determination as Sanji, and Nami instantly knew that they intended to stay and fight alongside their new friend.

She honestly felt like she was going to become sick. Wobbly legs took her to the alley way that led to the back door of the restaurant. Like hell she was going to be pushed out of the situation like a damsel in distress! She barely rounded the corner before she nearly barreled into someone. It was dark, so she didn't recognize the face at first. But when she did, all hope dried up in an instant.

Kuroobi. He gave her a look of disinterest. "What are you doing here?"

Lost, Nami answered honestly before realizing she should have told him it was none of his fucking business. "I was eating."

Kuroobi snorted and smirked. "Unlucky for you."

"Actually, she might be very lucky," sneered another, materializing out of the dark. Chew. "She got out of there before the action got going."

As if to pontificate that point, Nami heard the crack of a gunshot, tables and chairs crashing, and the shattering of a window. She looked back at the front of the restaurant and saw that a chair had been tossed out one of the windows. Terrified for the fortune of her friends, Nami tried to return to the window to see their fate, but the strong hand of Kuroobi stopped her.

"You will stay with us," he told her.

Nami was in her right mind again and about to tell Kuroobi to go straight to hell and rot when a black limo drove up in front of the restaurant. Terror turned into horror. The limo door opened to reveal Hachi, who held the door open for her employer. Imposing as ever in his perfect business suit, Arlong glanced casually up and down the walkway. When he spotted the three of them, his eyebrow rose. Some sort of silent signal was sent between Arlong and his enforcers. Nami was pushed in the direction of her employer.

"If it isn't my favorite new little Mermaid," Arlong greeted her with a sickening smile. "I hadn't expected to find you here, of all places."

Nami didn't know what to say, so she stayed silent.

"You're sure he's in there?" Arlong confirmed, turning to Kuroobi. He received a nod in return. "Good. I will have this go on no longer. This area belongs to Fishman Village tonight. I want Krieg and the last of his subordinates eliminated."

A third man stepped out from the limo and regarded Arlong passively. "And any witnesses?"

Nami had never before felt this degree of fear and anxiety. In front of her stood the infamous hit man Dracule Mihawk. He was renowned in the criminal underground for both his ferocity as well as attention to fine detail. Dracule Mihawk had never missed a mark in his entire career. Anyone who was to be hunted down by this man would not live to see the next sunrise, she knew. Smoker had a file on him as well and Nami had stopped reading half way through, sickened by the contents. Fear of this man nearly blocked out her ability to take in what was going on around her.

Nearly.

"No witnesses," Arlong decreed, regaining Nami's attention. Her boss had just signed the death warrants for her friends.

"Done," Mihawk nodded, walking towards the locked door of the restaurant. Nami watched with her jaw agape, wishing for something she could say that would negate the situation. Nothing came to mind. There was no way for her to save her friends.

A cool hand on her skin turned her to face her employer again. He looked at her speculatively, lifting the sleeve of her blouse and then the edge of her skirt. Finally, he turned her face from side to side.

"Good enough," he determined, putting a hand on her back and leading her to the limo. Her sluggish feet tripped a little on the way.

"Where are we going?" her fear addled mind asked. She had to climb into the limo or she would fall in, since she was being pushed. Arlong entered behind her, followed by the Trio.

"Back to Arlong Park, of course," he stated, meaning the top two floors of the high rise in the downtown area. "Your bruising has faded enough. Tonight, my dear, you take up the mantel of Mermaid."

A positively evil grin spread across his face.

"You have quite a few customers waiting," he told her.

In the end, she never got to finish school. To say goodbye to her friends, even for the night. To have that last dinner with her mother and sister. Nami never got to say goodbye to anything.

* * *

A/N: So this will be the last chapter I post on fanfiction . net. I've struggled with this dilemma for several weeks and this is the decision I've come up with. I'm going to continue posting this story on adult-fanfiction . org instead. I don't want it being reported because in the next few chapters the content becomes very dark and explicit and I figure if anyone wants to continue reading it, they'll search on over there and find it, and they should be over 18. That way if someone gets offended, I can tell them to bugger off.

So if you wish to read the rest of this story, and you are over 18, go to adult-fanfiction . org and search for my username. It's spath.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed here and I hope to see some of you over there. Cheers.


	9. Chapter Nine: Nami

**A/N:** I took awhile to think about this, and I am going to try to upload this here. If my story gets banned, so be it. This fic is rated M, and there is M material ahead. Keep that in mind.

* * *

 **Chapter Nine: Nami**

It was hard for Nami to reconcile herself to the fact that she had been the cause of someone's death. Three people's, actually. Three people were dead that wouldn't have been if she had just kept to herself and not allowed them to be her friends.

Throughout the limo ride back to Arlong Park, the two-level stronghold Arlong kept in the office building downtown, Nami could not stop blaming herself and barely managed to keep herself from bawling. Arlong had been saying things to her, something along the lines of explaining the rules she thought, but Nami could barely pay enough attention to him to even respond with a nod of understanding. She kept going over the things in her mind that she could have done to save her friends.

If she'd never given that file on the Don Krieg mafia to Arlong. If she'd never allowed the boys to follow her to work. If she'd never insisted they visit the Baratie for dinner.

If she'd never become friends with them at all, they might still be alive.

But ultimately, she could do nothing from them, and certainly not now. Even if by some miracle they were somehow still clinging to life, despite being given a death warrant by assassin Dracule Mihawk, Nami would never see them again. She was now a Mermaid, and Mermaids came with certain rules, as Arlong was explaining.

From two in the afternoon until four in the morning, she was for sale and available for any customer. She was not allowed to say no to any request that would not endanger her life, and even those that would were subject to be approved by Arlong himself. She was only allowed out of her room for one hour a day to take care of hygiene, aside from bathroom breaks every four hours. Her meals were served promptly at one p.m., seven p.m., and four a.m., and if she missed them, she was out of luck.

Nami nodded again, hearing the words but unable to process them yet. She'd do that later, when she was alone in her room, and after she'd had a good cry. Because that's what she needed. Nami needed to let loose the overwhelming emotions she was trying to hide in front of the others or she'd crack and do something stupid, like shove the pen that was in the front breast pocket of Arlong's suit into Chew's eye in order to get that idiot to stop whistling so jovially on such a tragic day.

"Pay attention!" Arlong snapped at her. Nami's eyes snapped up from focusing on the pen in his pocket to his face. He looked annoyed. "I asked you a question."

Nami could not recall what he'd asked.

"Sorry, I was thinking about the rules," she lied unimaginatively. "What did you ask me?"

"I said, you don't happen to still have your virginity, do you?" he repeated. Somehow, Nami managed to remain passive as she answered him, despite her revulsion.

"No, I don't," she replied.

Arlong made a face of disappointment, but did not look surprised. "I wagered you didn't. Kids these days have sex younger and younger. If I'd wanted to sell your virginity, I probably should have promoted you two or three years ago."

That was a bit harder to swallow with solemnity. The idea of being a whore at thirteen years old. It was sick. Nami was incredibly glad she'd had the foresight to get rid of her virginity before Arlong did it for her. He was going to make enough money off of her without getting more for selling something of hers that he'd had no part in keeping secure.

There was some more gangster small talk (about what area had been unruly today and who had been killed as a result and the like) as they made their way to Arlong Park. Nami fought to remain emotionless, but her hands shook in her lap. When the limo entered the underground garage, though, and she took what she supposed was probably her last look of the outside world for a very long time, her composure wavered.

Tears filled her eyes. She leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes as limousine came to a stop. She willed herself not to cry as the door was opened and the men in the limo with her got out. She went last, surreptitiously wiped the remainder of moisture from her eyes and rubbed it on the seat as she got out.

They got on the private elevator and headed up to the sixteenth floor to deposit the Trio, and then just the two of them went up one floor to the whore house. She had only been to this floor once before, when she was just a little girl of ten getting her tour of Arlong Park. She had been a spectacle to be stared at then; it was no different now.

Unoccupied Mermaids came to their open doors and gawked at her as Arlong led her past them to an empty room near the end of the long hallway. He opened the door and stepped aside, letting her get a glimpse of her new home. It was maybe a dozen square feet and adorned only with a bed and single dresser. The only decorations were a small trash can and a clock on the dresser.

It was, she realized, little more than a jail cell.

"The condoms and lube are in the top drawer," Arlong informed her, his big hand pushing her into the tiny room. "Make sure to take care of the customers, but not too well, my dear, as to make sure they are left wanting more."

Nami tasted bile at the term of endearment. She supposed she didn't have long until her first 'customer' showed, so she did her best to calm herself down. She really didn't need to break down crying in front of the first man who came up to fuck her. She doubted Arlong would be very pleased about that.

This would only be the second time she'd had sex. Last time, with Sabo, she'd been treated gently and with care. She knew she'd receive no more such treatment from here on out. For one irrational moment, Nami hoped against all odds that it _would_ be Sabo who would walk into her room. She wanted that blonde to fulfill his oath and take her away from this awful place.

No. That was hope, and hope was useless. She reminded herself that she was, in the end, a hopeless case and she needed to face reality. She had just taken a final deep cleansing breath when she heard the footsteps approach her room.

"We meet again, Nami _-chan_."

All the composure Nami had built up within herself fled. She turned around to see it, but she already knew who would be there. It was Crocodile.

"I have to admit," he said, strolling a few steps into the room and causing her to back into the dresser in attempt to stay away from him, "I didn't think you'd become a Mermaid quite this soon. I thought that your boss would at least let you finish out your assignment at my school before condemning you to this."

He gestured inauspiciously about the room.

"Maybe you're not as important as you think you are," Nami replied. How she had the balls to say anything at that moment, she didn't know. Crocodile smirked.

"Or maybe, _you_ aren't," he countered, reaching out to pull on the tie of her uniform. It unfurled into his grasp and his hands toyed with it aimlessly. "I offered to save you from this, if you recall."

Nami did, a little bit. She hadn't realized that had been a serious offer then. In retrospect, maybe she should have taken him up on it. But her own words came back to her and reminded her of why she'd dismissed it so easily.

 _Why would I trade the devil I know for one that I don't?_

Nami suspected this man to actually be more cruel than Arlong himself. Putting her life, and the lives of her mother and sister, in the hands of this man seemed a very bad idea. Granted, she may not be used for a tool for sex in his organization, but his were a band of assassins. Nami did not think she could murder without suffering from a guilty conscience.

Technically, she had probably condemned Kuro and his subordinates to death, but she wasn't the one dealing out the bullets. And she felt bad enough being involved in involuntary manslaughter of her friends. No, she wouldn't make it in his organization.

"I am not an assassin," she replied to his open statement. He cocked his head to the side and nodded, conceding the point.

"No, but you could be trained to be," he countered. "In as little as six months. And you wouldn't have to leave anything behind, except this shitty organization that calls itself a yakuza."

Damn it, why did he have to paint such a pretty picture for her? The thought of leaving this room and going home to her mother and sister; it was very tempting. To be able to go back to school—

No. School was bad. Very bad. She would have to sit in a room missing her three friends and have that as a constant daily reminder of how dangerous it was to be around her. Yes, she could be trained to be an assassin, and probably could manage it without much difficulty, aside from the guilty conscience but alcohol could probably help with that. But she also didn't put it past Crocodile to give her some sort of final test to admit her into Baroque Works and telling her that she had to kill her own mother and sister to prove her loyalty.

Yeah, he seemed like that sort of mind-fucking bastard.

"Such a disappointment," Crocodile sighed, apparently reading her decision on her face. He shrugged indifferently and dropped the tie to the floor before shucking his coat. Nami watched him toss it towards the edge of the bed and felt her stomach roll.

Fuck. That's right. He was here to screw her. Nerves froze up her body as she stared at him, untucking his shirt. What should she do? How do you be a whore? The first (and most obvious) answer she came up with was that she had to be naked. So she reached down and grabbed the hem of her blouse, lifting it up.

"Leave it on," Crocodile stipulated, unbuckling his pants. She looked up at him in confusion. He grinned lecherously at her. "I want to fuck you in the uniform. I have since I first saw you in it."

Nami's stomach rolled again. Yes, he was a sick, mind-fucking bastard alright. She let go of the hem of her shirt and waited for him to finish undressing. He didn't undress. He simply unbuttoned and unzipped the fly of his pants, letting them slouch a little on his hips. When he stood before her and crossed his arms expectantly, Nami realized what was expected of her.

Son of a bitch. She'd never given a man fellatio before. She thought back to her time with Sabo and suddenly regretted not 'returning the favor.' At least if she had, she might have an inkling of what she was supposed to do.

Well, she kind of knew what to do. A little. The boys, when she'd had lunch with them, would never fail to look up porn on their phones when they were done eating and waiting for the afternoon sessions of class to begin. She'd seen the act done before, thanks to that. But seeing and doing were two very different things.

Since he was going to apparently just stand there, Nami went down to her knees. It was the only way she'd be able to do it. Did she draw his pants down for him or simply reach into them and free his penis from his boxers? Damn it, why did it have to be Crocodile that she was learning how to do this with?

"What's the matter, Nami _-chan_?" he asked, sensing her hesitation probably. She looked up to see that irritating smirk still on his face.

"Never been a whore before," she replied. "Not sure if the pants come all the way off or if I leave them where they are."

He chuckled darkly. "You're such a good student; no doubt you will figure it out along the way."

Fuck! She just wanted to punch him straight in the dick. The bastard! She hated him! Absolutely hated him!

Angered to the point of not caring anymore, she grasped the waistband of his pants as well as his boxers and pulled them down roughly to his knees. Crocodile chuckled again.

"So feisty," he commented. Nami ignored his commentary and gave herself a little mental pep-talk while staring at his half-flaccid cock. It was gross and disgusting and she really didn't want to do it, but she was going to have to put it in her mouth.

Trying not to seem tentative, she reached out and gripped him in one hand, but almost immediately let go, startled. That hadn't felt like she thought it would. It was very hot, no doubt from blood rushing there, but it was also firmer than she expected. She had always imagined boys' penises to be kind of like squeezing a stress ball. Easy to give way when a little pressure was applied.

To cover her startle, she reached up and gripped him with the other hand, trying to make it seem like she'd meant to hold him with the other hand instead. Whether or not he believed the act, she didn't know, but at least he didn't comment on it. Finally, she had no choice and reluctantly opened her mouth.

There wasn't anything to taste but the saltiness of his skin, thankfully, because she was seriously grossed out by thoughts of what it might have tasted like. She leaned forwards and took more of him into her mouth until she felt him hit close to the back of her throat. She didn't want to go any farther than that because she had a gag reflex and she wasn't interested in testing it out tonight.

Much to her dismay, Crocodile was. One hand fisted in the hair at the back of her head and pulled her face towards his groin with unstoppable strength. The feeling was unimaginable. She wanted to gag but couldn't; his cock was shoved so far back in her throat that though her throat retracted, she could do nothing but spit up drool.

When he finally let go, she pulled back immediately and dropped him from her mouth, coughing and yes, gagging to the side. Between her gags, she heard him chuckle.

"Your oral skills leave something to be desired," he commented, as if he were giving her a quarterly student review. "Arlong said you weren't a virgin, but I'd bet you've never sucked a dick in your life."

She didn't bother to confirm or deny it. She didn't want to listen to his commentary on the subject at all. She knew she should go back to it, but she wasn't sure she could handle his brutality again. He knew she was new at this, and by the look on his face, he was planning on making it hard for her.

When she thought she had the gagging under control, she took hold of him and brought him to her mouth again. She deliberately kept her hand on his cock, so that when she bobbed her head up and down on him, he couldn't force her to deepthroat him again. It wasn't long before the salty taste of him turned bitter.

What was the bitterness? She had no idea. In school, they covered anatomy and sexual reproduction, but they sure as hell didn't cover the mechanics of sex. That should have been a school course. How to give a blow job (or how to eat a girl out if that particular situation applied) should be a required class so a person didn't look stupid the first time they had sex. Because she was pretty sure she looked like a fucking idiot right now.

"You're really terrible at this," Crocodile sighed, pushing his hand through her hair again and grabbing hold at the back of her head. He pulled her face off of him and held her neck arched back. He then removed her hand from his dick and began to stroke it himself, fast and firmly. After a half a minute, he ejaculated onto her face.

It wasn't until he'd completely stopped ejaculating that he let go of her hair. Nami had closed her eyes, not wishing to get a dose of semen in them. When he let go of her hair, she blindly reached out to the bed, pulling on the sheet until it relented into her hand and wiping the stuff off of her face. She realized that the bitter taste from before was the semen, because despite wiping it away, she still managed to get some in her mouth.

When she was sure there wasn't any semen near her eyes anymore, she opened them to see Crocodile had reached over her to the dresser drawers and pulled open the top one. He produced a condom from it, putting it between his teeth and ripping the seal. The small latex condom fell into his hand and he pinched the end of it before sliding it over his half-erect self.

So it was onto fucking now. Great.

"You. Bend over the bed. Face the wall," he instructed. Apprehensively, she did as instructed, going to the bed and leaning over it. She heard him come up behind her and felt one hand reach out and caress the side of her leg for a moment before dragging his hand up and shifting her skirt up to her waist.

With a sharp yank, her panties were dragged down to her knees. A few seconds later, she felt the tip of him pressing against her labia. He held one hand firmly against her back, preventing her from moving as he began to push in.

It hurt! She thought that it wasn't supposed to hurt. She'd already lost her virginity. Come to think of it, that hadn't hurt very much at all. And when Sabo had pushed in, it had just felt very uncomfortable. But this was much different. She felt like he was shoving and stretching her to the point that her insides would tear.

She didn't like it. It didn't feel good at all. She buried her face in the bed sheets, wincing as he began pumping in and out of her. Why hadn't it hurt like this with Sabo? Crocodile wasn't any bigger in terms of cock size when compared to the blonde, so what was the difference?

The only difference she could determine as that before she'd had sex with Sabo, he'd given her oral. She recalled being embarrassed by the state of affairs between her legs after. She'd been 'slimy.' Was that it? Had the sliminess acted as a lubricant?

It must have been.

Nami grimaced through the pounding and sound of smacking flesh. Damn it, how long would this take? She didn't want to do this anymore. Not without the lube that was in the top drawer. She peeked at the clock on top of the dresser. He'd gotten there at ten o'clock; it was ten twenty-five now. She'd spent probably five minutes talking to him, another ten at that terrible blow job. So he'd been fucking her for ten minutes? How long did it generally take a guy to cum?

The answer, for Crocodile at least, was twenty-three minutes. When he finally had thrust himself out, she couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped her as he pulled out of her. Was it finally over?

"Get up," Crocodile commanded, smacking her butt. It wasn't hard enough to leave a mark, but striking was supposed to be against the rules. She pushed herself up off the bed, giving him a look of ill intent. He was pulling off the condom and tossing it into the trash.

"I've got another twenty minutes," he told her, eyeing the clock. "Why don't you try doing a better job of giving a blow job?"

Like hell she wanted to! But she also couldn't say no. So she got back onto her knees and faced him again. His flesh was slightly damp, probably from semen, and she tried not to make a face at having to taste that again.

Ignoring her reluctance, she reached out and gripped him again and then took him into her mouth. It tasted bitter and sour. She wanted to gag, even before he pushed himself into the back of her throat. Immediately, his hands grasped the back of her head and she knew she was in trouble.

"Now, my little Nami _-chan_ ," he smirked, "let me show you how a man wants this done."

Nami knew she was in for another gagging. And she wasn't wrong.

.o0o.

The first three days were the worst. But in an odd way, they were also good for her. Arlong had not lied; when she'd been brought to Arlong Park there had been a steady stream of men waiting for her, but after Crocodile, she felt like she was immune. At the very least, she could deepthroat someone now without gagging anymore.

The waiting customers had finally tapered down to a trickle after three days, allowing Nami time to herself. She was amazed that she no longer felt the urge to cry. Her tears had dried up after three days and she didn't cry herself to sleep anymore.

She realized she was finally numb. There was nothing left, no feeling of remorse or loss. She was simply numb. Any man could walk through her door and have his way, and she would feel nothing. It was good. Better. She'd been more prepared than she'd thought for this.

Her room didn't even have a window. She only knew by the clock small clock on her dresser what time it was, and sometimes, when she woke up early, she couldn't quite remember if it was supposed to be day or night. She supposed ultimately, it didn't matter. It wasn't like she was going anywhere.

Except today.

Nami had been confused when Chew had come to her room; the Fish made no secret that he loathed her existence. So why would he come to her room? The only people who did were her customers.

"Come on," Chew snapped at her. "Get up and dressed. Hurry. Arlong wants you downstairs in ten minutes."

Groggily, since it was about nine in the morning and she'd only gone to sleep less than four hours prior, Nami had changed into the only clothes she had: the ones she'd been taken in. It was odd being in her school uniform again, and also gross since the only underwear she had were the ones she'd had on the Monday she'd been taken, and they had not been washed. When she was dealing with customers, she simply wore a satin robe she'd found in the dresser when she'd stashed her uniform, since she never ended up wearing anything for very long.

Running a hand through her slightly sleep-tangled hair as she descended the steps to the loft floor that Arlong owned, Nami couldn't help but wonder what was going on. As far as she knew, Mermaids never left their rooms. Unless…

The numbness receded from her to make way for fear. The only time she'd ever heard of a Mermaid leaving her room was if she were permanently sold off. That was a terrifying prospect. Here, in Arlong Park, Nami knew what to expect. There were rules. In the hands of a man who had decided to permanently buy her, there were no rules.

"Ah, there is my jewel!" Arlong's voice called out the moment she entered the room. Her eyes spotted him immediately, sitting at the large desk that he usually occupied. He looked the same from when she had last seen him a few days ago.

"Is the limo ready?" Arlong asked Kuroobi, who was at his side. Kuroobi nodded and Arlong rose from his chair. He came to stand next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders to guide her to the elevator. With the numbness still temporarily lifted, Nami felt the arm on her shoulders and had to fight the impulse to shrug it off.

The four of them, Nami, Arlong, Kuroobi and Chew, all descended to the sub-basement where the cars parked. Upon seeing the limo, Nami saw that Hachi was also present. Nami got a sickening wave of déjà vu as they all got into the limo and set off. Her sight of the outside world again had come sooner than she'd thought, but that thought was second note to her ponderings on just where they were headed.

The curiosity and fear became too much for Nami. She had to know. Had to ask.

"Where are we going?" she asked, looking out the tinted windows as the town went by.

"Shopping, my dear," Arlong told her. "You need something more fitting of a Mermaid of your class than those rags you wear now."

Fear eased, but confusion soared. What did he mean, a Mermaid of her class?

"One with your exotic beauty is a rarity," Arlong went on, sating her curiosity as he ran a hand through her orange hair. "It does no good to keep you locked up all the time. So when I host esteemed guests, you will be in attendance. And you must be properly attired."

Essentially, he would be showing her off in order for her to generate more money for him. Actually, that made perfect sense, for him. Nami felt as the numbness began to fall back into place. At least she wasn't being sold off.

They came to a stop in front of a small shop bordering the edge of East Blue. Really, it must have been as close to the border as they could get. When they got out of the limo, Nami could see the towering sky scrapers of All Blue, the metropolis that East Blue, and all the other Blue cities were suburbs of.

Inside of the shop, Nami was taken by several women and stuffed into kimonos and dresses of all sorts and forced to parade in front of Arlong and the Trio, his bodyguards for the day. Arlong gave his approval on certain ones and Nami hoped her torture would be done soon. It was hard to keep a neutral expression.

Unfortunately, she was subject to lingerie next. It was completely mortifying to parade around in clothes that left her pretty much naked. Why was lingerie even considered clothes when ninety-eight percent of the time it was see through? Nami was shaking in disgust by the time her torture was over. Arlong led her back outside to the limo as the Trio followed diligently. The clothes were to be delivered to Arlong Park the next day. In the meantime, Nami was once again on her way back to her Mermaid life.

The trip to the clothing store had taken up the afternoon portion of her shift, so when she returned she was allowed to have lunch. Good. She was starved. She'd been deprived of breakfast in lieu of shopping this morning. Lunch was a simple miso soup and as Nami ate it, she reminisced back to the delicacies that Sanji had served her. She wished she could eat his cuisine again, but the boy was dead and it was pointless for her to wish for things like that.

With her lunch eaten and therefore nothing left for her to do, Nami simply sat on the bed provided for her and waited for her first customer. A glance at the clock showed that it was nearly eight o'clock. Typically, her busiest time of the day was between nine and one, so she knew she wouldn't be waiting long. The time ranges that men could purchase were anywhere from fifteen minutes to the entire night.

The latter was the most expensive by far. Whereas just about any punk could scrounge up five thousand berries for a quick fifteen minute blow-and-go, the entire night usually cost around two hundred thousand berries. She had yet to attract that sort of customer, and she was glad. The idea of having to put up with some sycophant for more than an hour or two she knew was out of her skill range, even if she was numb.

At eight-seventeen, her door opened. Nami had been counting the ceiling tiles for the third time (there were forty-eight) and glanced to the door. She froze.

Had she fallen asleep? Last she remembered, she had been sitting on her bed staring at the ceiling, so maybe it was possible. She bit down hard on her tongue and a sharp pain accosted her. Nope, not dreaming. So then, how was this possible?

Nami stared blankly at Luffy as he stared just as blankly at her for a long moment. Then his hand reached behind his head to scratch as a wide grin broke out on his face.

"Ah, Nami."

Dazed, Nami didn't answer at first. Too many things were going through her mind. How was he alive? How was he looking perfectly fine, aside from a cut on his cheek? How the hell did he find her? Just how had he gotten up here and into her room as if he were her next customer?

"Ara?" Luffy's smile drooped and his head cocked to the side in confusion as the door closed behind him. He waved his hand in front of her face, as if trying to recall her from spacing out. "Nami, are you okay?"

She jolted as if struck by his words and blinked back from her stupor. "I—I'm fine."

It was a lie, but an automatic one so she knew it would at least sound convincing. Anyway, it had Luffy fooled. His grin reappeared and he stepped farther into the room, crowding her space as was his usual unconscious habit.

"You're not at school," he told her, as if she didn't know. "Where have you been?"

The school term was over for the moment, she knew, but he was right; she had missed the last two days of exams.

"Working," she floundered to answer. No other explanation would do. How was she supposed to explain any of this to him? Did he already know what she was? Hell, he had found her when no one else had. But then again, he also didn't seem surprised at her explanation, as poor as it was.

"You work a lot," Luffy observed, pouting and crossing his arms. "Makes it hard to hang out."

"Sorry," she apologized. Because she truly was sorry that she wasn't able to spend time with him anymore. That thought brought her back to herself. "What are you doing here, Luffy?"

"Hanging out!" he laughed. "I told the ugly that I wanted to hang out with you and he said I could if I paid, so I did."

Nami felt nauseous. Luffy…had been in the same room as Arlong…and had bought her?

"How long do we get to—to hang out?" she asked, dreading the answer. Fifteen minutes was probably not going to be a long enough time for her to be able figure out how to explain her situation to Luffy in a way that he would not be suspicious yet also somehow stress that he could tell absolutely _no one_ where she was.

"The ugly said if I paid two hundred thousand, I could hang out all night," Luffy shrugged. Nami felt dizzy.

"You paid for the whole night?" she reiterated. Luffy nodded vigorously. "Where did you get the money?"

Luffy grinned again. "I didn't have any at first, so I went home and got it. Had to borrow a little from my brother though."

He grimaced.

"You didn't tell him what it was for, did you?" Nami worried. Nami had known Luffy had a brother; he mentioned him on occasion, but she had never met him. Still, she needed to make sure a grandson of Garp didn't know that Luffy was essentially paying for a whore.

"I told him so I could hang out with my friend," Luffy shrugged. "He got real excited though when I said you were a girl. He got that look on his face that he gets when he's looking up dirty videos on the internet."

Nami felt a little relief at that. So his brother suspected that Nami was some sort of girlfriend. Well, that wasn't so bad. Unless he asked to meet said girlfriend.

"So what do you wanna do?" Luffy asked, a hint of excitement in his voice. He looked ready to bounce off the proverbial walls, tottering from side to side.

What did she want to do? What she wanted most at that moment was to know exactly how the fuck he was still alive. He should have been six feet under by now, yet here he stood, as if the altercation at the Baratie had not taken place just three days ago and Dracule Mihawk had not been ordered to dispose of him.

"Tell me what's been going on," she requested. "I haven't seen you since the restaurant. I got shoved outside and couldn't get back in. What happened? How did you find me?"

Oddly, a smile crossed Luffy's face. "I got a new nakama."


	10. Chapter Ten: Luffy

**A/N:** The long awaited change in perspective. It will happen a lot more from hereon out.

* * *

 **Chapter Ten: Luffy**

In the shudoku named Baratie, Luffy had one of the best times of his life. Seriously, it made the top three. In the number one spot was that time when he was seven that he and Ace and Sabo all stole one of Gramps' bottles of liquor and snuck out to the tree house and spent the night drinking. Yeah, he'd had a really bad headache the next day and threw up a lot, but at the time, it was awesome. It was the last time that the three of them had hung out like that.

The number two spot was held by Zoro. Luffy truly cherished every person he called his friend, but Zoro had been the first to do it. He firmly remembered the many times that Zoro rebuffed him, but the day Zoro had relented and become his first friend, Luffy held in high regard.

Number three, Luffy knew, belonged to this afternoon. All of them were together for the first time since the fight at Ussop's house, and as an added bonus, none of them had to fight. Sanji was pretty fun too. And damn, could he cook!

It was inevitable that it would have to end. Nami pointed out the time as she put the money for her meal on the table. Luffy dug into his book bag in search of his wallet. He hoped he had enough berries on him. Luffy pulled open his wallet as Nami walked to the door of the kitchen. He had about two thousand berries with him and his bill was twenty-six hundred. He was going to have to borrow some money from Zoro or Ussop.

"We're taking off, Sanji," he heard Nami call into the kitchen. "It was nice meeting you."

"Oi, I need a thousand berries," Luffy told Ussop and Zoro. They both shot him a look of dismay.

"The hell makes you think I got money for you?" Zoro shot at him. "I got the same damn bill as you. That fruity waiter charged a damn arm and a leg for his fucking cooking."

"I'll pay it back tomorrow," Luffy promised. Gramps may not give him any money if he asked, but usually Ace could be convinced to give him some now and then.

"Here," Ussop said, shoving a thousand berries into his hand. Luffy grinned widely at him.

"Thanks!" Luffy grinned. He looked around the restaurant for the cashier. There was a cash register on a small counter that was next to the kitchen, but it was unmanned. Looking around further, Luffy spotted Sanji by the entrance to the restaurant with Nami at his side. The two were blocked where they stood, since two men were standing in the doorway. One was the scruffy dude from earlier. The one that had gotten thrown out. He raised his hand and pointed at Sanji.

"This is the one I told you about," the scruffy guy said, looking up at the bigger man he carried. The big guy, who looked like he'd been on the receiving end of an ass whooping, limped further into the restaurant. Unceremoniously, he pushed Nami out of his way as he stepped up to Sanji.

"You," the big guy said haggardly. "You will feed me. And the rest of my men as well."

The big guy may have had the crap beaten out of him, but the look in his eyes was that of a man who was far from done fighting. Luffy dropped his money and bill back onto the table, already forgotten.

"What's up, Luffy?" Ussop asked him. Luffy jutted his chin in the direction of the confrontation. Zoro's attention was already there. Ussop turned in time to watch Sanji skirt around the two men and shove Nami out of the door, and then lock it behind her.

"I swear that woman is bad luck," Zoro muttered, edging his way out of the booth slowly as to not draw attention. "Any time we go anywhere with her, we get into a fight."

"A fight?" Ussop repeated, his hand unconsciously going up to his nose. "Here? With those guys?"

"If you don't want to get caught up in it," Zoro told him, "you better go hide in the kitchen."

Ussop looked a little insulted at being told to hide, but he also looked like it didn't sound like a bad idea.

"I suppose in the kitchen, there will at least be some weapons," Ussop reasoned. "I'm not very good at fist fighting."

"What's all this?" called the old man from the kitchen. The man Sanji had told them was Zeff stepped into the main dining area and assessed the situation. "You've come back, eh? With more idle threats and demands?"

"I guarantee no threat made today is idle," the big man retorted. "We will show you exactly why you will be paying for protection from this day forth."

Zeff bristled. "You've got another thing coming if you think the likes of you can even possibly—"

The big man pulled a gun from his breast pocket and shot the old man Zeff in the chest in a draw that was too quick to be stopped. Zeff fell to the floor, his face a picture of confusion, as if he hadn't realized he'd been shot yet. Before he hit the floor, Luffy was hopping tables and tossing chairs out of the way.

Without any regard for the gun that was being relocated to point at him, Luffy slammed into the body of the big man with all the force he could muster. The big man didn't fall, but he lost the grip on his gun and it fell to the floor and skidded away. The big man used his now free hand to grab Luffy by the back of the uniform and toss him into a nearby booth.

It hurt. It hurt a lot. Luffy wheezed as he tried to regain his breath, pulling himself back to standing amongst the pile of broken furniture. Zoro had taken up his space in front of the big man while Ussop was dragging Zeff from the dining room towards the kitchen.

Sanji was occupied as well, taking on the scruffy-looking man. His fight distracted Luffy for a moment. Sanji was really good. His fighting focused less on his fists and more on his feet. The sight of Sanji spinning around on his hands as he dealt vicious blows at the scruffy man was pretty neat.

Zoro was sent into a nearby table and Luffy remembered what he was supposed to be doing. He picked up a broken piece of wood from the furniture and headed back for the big man. He meant to clock the man in the head with the wood, but the big man was pretty damn fast for being that huge. He swung at Luffy, and though he missed, he also blocked Luffy's swing. Plus, he was drawing another gun.

Just how many guns did the asshole have?

The answer for the moment was at least two, because the second one fired at Luffy, and he felt a stinging on his cheek. Well, shit. That was a little too close for comfort. The second gun had to go, so Luffy swung the broken wood sideways, catching the big man's shooting hand. The gun flew out of his hand, but the wood splintered into pieces at impact.

And Luffy was weaponless again. But the big man, he probably wasn't. And there were too many places to hide guns and stuff on him, so Luffy's next plan was to strip the man naked so he couldn't hide shit on him. The big man swung a fist in his direction and Luffy grabbed firm hold of the fabric of his jacket and pulled.

The fabric ripped at the seam of the shoulder and both of them lurched backwards a few steps. Well, that wasn't what Luffy had intended, but with one bare arm exposed now, Luffy's plan was sort of working. Plus, Zoro was back on his feet and had climbed on the behemoth of a man's back and was attempting a choke hold.

Distracted by Zoro, the big man didn't really have the chance to stop Luffy from grabbing the man's pants and yanking them down. The big man tried to take a step and tripped on his pants that were shucked to his ankles. He went down sideways, hitting the floor hard. Unfortunately, that also dislodged Zoro, and apparently it wasn't a fun ride.

"What the hell, Luffy?" Zoro groused, getting back up. But Luffy didn't bother answering. He grabbed the hem of the man's shirt and pulled up, yanking it off as hard as he could. Several guns and knives went skittering in different directions. Finally, the big man was left in nothing but his boxers and a very soiled undershirt.

"Now it's a fair fight," Luffy declared proudly, slamming his fist into his hand. Zoro snorted in dismay.

"A fair fight, you say?" the big man commented as he got up, kicking away his mostly dislodged pants. "You call two against one a fair fight?"

Luffy considered that for a moment. "Zoro, go sit down."

"What?!" Zoro snapped. "The fuck I will! You go sit down!"

Nah, that didn't sound fun. Luffy made a sour face until his eyes fell upon a lone figure sitting in one of the undisturbed booths near the entrance. When did he get here?

"Go fight him," Luffy suggested, pointing to the man. Zoro's eyes followed Luffy's indication and for a moment, it looked like Zoro was going to argue again. But without any reason, Zoro straightened where he stood and stared at the man in the corner.

While the two of them were distracted, the big man had inched towards one of his discarded weapons. Luffy jumped at the sound of a gun going off again. He looked around frantically at himself, looking for bullet wounds that he couldn't feel. He found none and gave Zoro a cursory glance, but he seemed fine too, except that he was still staring at the man in the corner.

"Fuck!" cried the big man, and Luffy turned his attention back to him to find that there was a dicing knife lodged deep into his forearm. The gun dropped from his grasp and Luffy glanced at the kitchen to see Ussop hiding behind the door with three other knives in his hand. Luffy grinned.

"Time to be done," Luffy proclaimed, running forward and jumping with his feet pointed at the distracted big man's head. He landed a solid hit, and the big man fell to the floor. Luffy slid into a table as he landed, but it wasn't near as bad as being tossed into the booth. He got up and walked over to the big man to see if he was still up and at him. A bloody, unconscious face was what Luffy saw. Just for good measure, though, Luffy kicked all of the discarded weapons back towards the kitchen.

"Is it over?" Ussop asked, still hiding behind the kitchen door. Luffy looked over to where Sanji was and saw that the scruffy man was face down on the floor, being sat on by Sanji as he smoked a cigarette. And Zoro, for whatever reason, was still just standing there, staring at that guy in the corner. Luffy joined him, elbowing him in the ribs.

"You gonna fight him or what?" Luffy asked. Zoro finally looked away from the man, giving an incredulous look.

"Fight him?" Zoro repeated, laughing nervously. Luffy's eyebrows lowered at Zoro's odd behavior, but he didn't have long to wonder because the man in the corner finally got up and came towards them.

"Today is a rare day," the man stated as he ambled their way. Luffy wasn't sure what to make of the man, but Sanji seemed to take him as a threat as he got up from the scruffy man's back and walked over to join him and Zoro. The man didn't seem like he was gearing up to fight them, but rather to discuss something boring like the weather. "Not often am I rendered useless."

Luffy quirked his head to the side. What was this dude talking about?

"Though it was entertaining to watch," the man went on. "I've never considered stripping my opponent as way to dehabilitate him."

"Ara?" Luffy responded. "What do you do?"

"Usually, slice them in half," the man answered. "Or decapitate them. Any sort of dismemberment usually works."

Luffy had no idea what 'dehabilitate' or 'dismemberment' or 'decapitate' meant, but they sounded cool. He was about to ask for a demonstration when Zoro finally spoke.

"You're Dracule Mihawk, aren't you?" Zoro asked, though he looked positive to know the answer already.

"Why, yes," the man confirmed. "Tell me, have we met before?"

"I've seen you before," Zoro clarified. "At a funeral."

The man narrowed his eyes at Zoro and Luffy got the feeling that this guy, Dracule Mihawk, was not a nice man to know, despite his indifferent demeanor.

"A funeral," Mihawk repeated. "I haven't been to a funeral in…"

"Seven years," Zoro guessed. The man smiled, but it wasn't a pleasant smile. It gave Luffy chills.

"Ah, I see," Mihawk said. "I remember now. You're the boy. The one she went to save. You're the reason she's dead."

Luffy had no idea what they were talking about. When he looked at Zoro, he had drained of all color and looked like he was going to lose his dinner on all of their shoes.

Without warning, Mihawk reached over his shoulder and pulled a very sharp looking sword from its sheath. Luffy barely managed a step backwards before Mihawk swung his large blade. A loud clang sounded followed by a sickening thud. Luffy didn't have any idea what happened, but luckily, Ussop gave them a verbal instant replay.

"Whoa!" he cried, still hiding behind the kitchen door. "He just used his sword to block that knife and sent right back at that big guy."

Luffy looked over at the big man on the floor to see that there was no longer a cutlery knife embedded in his forearm, but rather now, his forehead. When he turned to face Mihawk in wonder, the said man was standing over the scruffy man with his sword raised. In a swift motion, the blade came down and the scruffy man's head was no longer attached to his neck.

"What the hell!" Sanji cried. "He was done for! He'd lost consciousness, but more than that, he'd lost his will to fight!"

"He was a mark," Mihawk stated, using a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the blood from his sword. "I was told to eliminate him and his boss."

Sanji looked ready to say more but Zoro put a hand on his arm and gave him a look that Luffy didn't see. Whatever the look was, it was enough to stop Sanji's protests.

"I was also told to dispose of any witnesses," Mihawk added, idly eyeing them.

"We didn't witness anything!" Ussop yelled from the kitchen. "We were in the kitchen the whole time! When we came out of the kitchen, the fight was over! We didn't see anything!"

Mihawk raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Yeah," Zoro agreed, taking hold of Luffy's arm too and using it to tow him to the kitchen. "We didn't see anything."

"Smart boys," Mihawk praised, turning his ear towards the open door. Hadn't that door been closed before? Luffy thought he remembered Sanji closing and locking it before the fight started. "Ah, 'tis time for me to leave. I hear the cavalry on its way, late as usual."

It was then that Luffy heard the faint sounds of sirens. He watched Mihawk stride through the entrance of the restaurant and disappear into the night before Zoro finally managed to drag him into the kitchen. Sanji went immediately to Zeff's side. The old man was somehow still alive, wrapped up in bloody dish towels, probably thanks to Ussop.

"Swear it, right now," Zoro spoke up. "We don't tell anyone what happened here today."

Luffy gave Zoro a confused look.

"I swear," Ussop declared immediately. "I don't want that man visiting me in my room while I sleep."

"Who was that guy?" Sanji asked, giving Zoro a serious look.

"Nobody," Zoro claimed. "There was nobody here that we saw. That's all there is to it."

Sanji yanked the spent cigarette out of his mouth before stabbing it out fiercely on the floor.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he grumbled. "I swear."

"Luffy, you too," Zoro ordered, turning to him. But Luffy was still confused.

"I can't tell anyone?" he asked, disappointed. It was such a cool story. "Not even Nami?"

"I don't care if that yankee woman knows," Zoro dismissed. "She was probably standing outside the whole time watching. But no one else. No one. Not even your brother."

It was kind of disappointing. But Zoro seemed very serious on the matter, and after a year of knowing Zoro, Luffy knew when he was serious about something, there was a good reason for it.

"I swear," Luffy said with a shrug. Zoro huffed a sigh of relief.

"Holy hell."

All of them looked towards the door to the dining area where someone had spoken. They heard steps coming quickly towards them before the visage of a tall man smoking a cigar stepped into the kitchen.

"Smoker!" Ussop cried in relief.

The man named Smoker gave Ussop a surprised look, Zoro an irritated one and Luffy one of recognition before stepping towards Sanji and Zeff. He kneeled down onto the ground and felt for the old man's pulse. Immediately, he pulled a cell phone from his jacket and called an ambulance.

"The fuck happened here?" he asked after he'd hung up, looking at each of them in turn again. As per their promise, no one said a word. Not surprisingly, their silence pissed off Smoker. "I said, what the fuck happened here?"

Zoro sighed. "We were getting ready to leave when two guys came in and shot the owner. We ducked into the kitchen to stay out of the brawl. Some shit went down out there, but we didn't see it."

Smoker took a deep drag off of the cigar in his mouth.

"You didn't see it?" Smoker repeated, skeptically. Everyone remained silent.

"Smoker!" called a shrill voice. Luffy thought he saw Smoker flinch. More footsteps were heard and then a woman appeared. She had dark red hair buzzed into a mohawk but tamed back by a ponytail. She looked around the room in a panicked recognition before walking to the nearest one of them, which happened to be Zoro, and grabbing him by the shirt.

"Where is she?" the woman demanded.

"Belle, calm down," Smoker cautioned.

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down!" the woman denied. She shook Zoro for good measure. "Where is she?"

"Who?" Zoro asked, perplexed.

"My daughter!" the woman snapped. "Where's Nami?"

They all shared blank looks.

"She wasn't outside?" Ussop asked. The woman turned her attention to him, dropping her grip on Zoro's shirt.

"There's no one outside!" the woman yelled. Ussop flinched.

"I pushed her outside," Sanji spoke up. "Before that bastard shot my old man."

The woman looked at them all in turn, taking in their expressions. Her look went from frantic and furious to terrified and desperate.

"Where is she?" she demanded again, but this time, it sounded more like a sob.

"We'll find her, Belle," Smoker promised. "We'll start by interrogating the neighborhood. _Someone_ had to see something."

Smoker shot a dark look at all of them before leading the woman out. Silence descended on their group for a few moments.

"Thanks," Sanji told them.

"Don't mention it," Ussop replied. "I've been in your shoes before. A couple weeks ago in fact. Glad I could pay it forward."

"Like you did anything but cower behind a door," Zoro snorted, before relenting to another thought. "You're not bad at tossing knives, though."

"Like you're one to talk," Sanji quipped back. "You spent half the time staring at that creepy guy."

Zoro gave Sanji a dark look. "Look here, dart brow—"

"You wanna go, snot hair?" Sanji interrupted, standing and moving towards Zoro. Luffy stepped in between them, throwing an arm around each of their shoulders.

"Shi, shi, shi," he laughed. "Sanji fits right in, doesn't he?'

"Eh?" Zoro and Sanji responded in unison, both confused. Luffy looked at Ussop, grinning widely.

"We have another new nakama," he proudly stated. Zoro groaned in dismay, while Sanji snorted.

"Nakama, huh?" he contemplated. "That doesn't sound so bad. Plus, having Nami-swan at my side—"

"Nami- _swan_?" Zoro repeated in disgust. "The hell is wrong with you, man?"

"Shut your fucking face, moss-head!"

.o0o.

Gramps was not a happy man. Not at all. Luffy could tell. He had griped for at least an hour after the fight at the Baratie, questioning him over and over, trying to get details out of Luffy and the others, but remained unsuccessful.

Gramps had taken him and Zoro and Ussop home after Sanji and his old man were carted off to the hospital, but left again as soon as he'd dropped off his last charge. Gramps had been informed by that guy Smoker that Nami was apparently missing and was going back to the restaurant to interrogate any witnesses. He probably wouldn't be back 'til morning.

Luffy figured he'd go bug his brother some, but when he got to his brother's room, it was empty. Luffy was disappointed, but not surprised. His brother had been hanging around some girl from school a lot and was probably with her. With nothing else to do, and as usual, with the refrigerator devoid of all food, Luffy had no better option than to go to bed.

The morning wasn't any better, though. His brother woke him up really early (Luffy hated getting up early and complained the whole time) and he made him some breakfast, which was good (the breakfast part), but Luffy was onto his second day of exams. It was gonna suck. There were only two exams today; history and biology. Both pretty boring.

His brother dragged him to school early too, which was weird. Normally, he didn't care for school any more than Luffy did. But when he got onto school grounds and immediately called out to the girl he'd been hanging out with after school, Luffy realized why he'd been in such a hurry.

Luffy shrugged as he watched his brother take off. It didn't matter. He knew Zoro was already here, so he went in search of him. He found him by the music room, on the wrong floor for their class. Together, they made their way to their classroom.

"Your Gramps find that yankee girl?" Zoro asked.

Luffy shrugged. "Dunno."

"What a pain," Zoro muttered with a sigh. Luffy knew this was Zoro-speak for his concern for Nami. He'd said the same thing the night before when Sanji had left for the hospital with his old man, worried about Zeff's well-being.

In the classroom, Ussop waited. He questioned them about Nami too, disappointed by the lack of news. Though there was little chance of it, all three of them waited somewhat eagerly to see if Nami showed up for exams. She didn't.

Exams were _so_ boring. Luffy wondered at how Zoro managed to stay awake for them, they were that boring. The only good part was that they got out of school kind of early. It was just past lunch when the three of them left the classroom and headed out of the school.

"Can I come over to your house?" Ussop asked Luffy as they made their way to the school entrance. Luffy nodded gleefully. Everything was less boring with friends around. Zoro decided to tag along too, apparently, since he followed them to Luffy's house as well.

Two steps in the door, Gramps called out to him.

"Come into the kitchen, Luffy."

Forgetting to take his shoes off, Luffy headed straight for the kitchen. His Gramps was seated at the table surrounded by piles of paper. Luffy saw on some of the papers his own name, as well as Ussop's and Zoro's.

"That girl Nami," Gramps began, regaining his attention. "Do you know where she might go if she didn't go home?"

Luffy didn't. Not really. The only places he'd seen her go was Ussop's house and to that guy Smoker's office. He told Gramps so.

"I see," Gramps murmured, shuffling through some papers.

"She's also got a job downtown," Zoro added. Luffy had forgotten about his two friends, who had taken their shoes off at the door and had just joined him in the kitchen. "Said she was a messenger or something."

Gramps stopped shuffling papers and eyed them all critically. "Downtown?"

Luffy recalled that. "Yeah. She said she worked at an office downtown."

"She didn't happen to take you to where she worked, did she?" Gramps asked. Luffy shook his head in denial. "I thought as much. You're sure she said downtown?"

"Yep," Luffy agreed.

Gramps stood up from the table and collected all the papers. "I'm headed back to work. Don't let your friends stay too late; you have one more day of exams. And if any one of you hears from that girl, you are to call me immediately. Am I understood?"

They all nodded and Gramps left. The three of them wasted their afternoon by watching television and playing video games until his brother returned and kicked the other two out around dinner time. It was another boring night because his brother spent the entire time on his phone with that girl, so Luffy had only the television to entertain him.

The final day of exams wasn't too terrible since one of the exams was for gym and they got to play dodge ball during that. Again, they got out after school early and rather than have his brother kick the guys out before dinner, Luffy elected to go over to Ussop's house. Ussop put a delay on that though; he wanted to go to the hospital and check on Sanji's old man.

The three of them went across town to the hospital and made their way to the old man's room. Sanji was there, of course, and practically pounced on them for news. His face fell when he heard that no one had seen Nami for two days.

The good news was that the old man was on the mend. Though Zeff had been shot in the chest at point blank range, the bullet had missed the heart and lungs and managed to only shatter two ribs. That was still pretty bad, but the old man was doing pretty well. He was sitting up and able to speak, criticizing them for sticking around an old man like him instead of running for their damn lives.

It was a pleasant stay until the nurse came in and told them that visiting hours were over. Sanji was allowed to stay, but the rest of them had to go. They exchanged numbers, though, so they could let each other know if anything was heard about Nami.

They had dinner at Ussop's house, and his mom was pretty upset to hear about Nami's continued absence. Luffy liked Ussop's mom. She always smiled and was happy to see them and never complained about the amount of food Luffy ate. He kinda wished she was his mom too.

Gramps called around nine o'clock to tell him to get his ass home and that tomorrow they were going to do a block by block search for Nami. Luffy relayed the message to Ussop and Zoro, and Ussop sent a text to Sanji.

So the next morning, bright and early _again_ , on the first day of summer vacation, Luffy met up with the guys to look for Nami. Gramps assigned them each a bunch of blocks of the city and told them to get to it.

"Can't I go along with Zoro?" Luffy complained as Gramps handed him a paper with his set of blocks printed on it. "He gets lost at school sometimes. Tuesday, he got lost on the way to the classroom from the kendo club."

"Hey!" Zoro complained, punching Luffy in the shoulder.

"You just want someone to talk to," Gramps dismissed, talking over Luffy as he ignored Zoro's punch and listed off another occasion last week where Zoro had gotten lost on the way to gym. "We can cover more ground if you search on your own."

Luffy pouted. Yeah, he did want someone to talk to. But Zoro really did get lost. It wasn't like Zoro was going to get any searching done without him anyway. But in the end, Gramps wasn't convinced and Luffy was sent off on his own.

It. Was. Boring.

Though Luffy stopped for food six times, he was bored out of his mind. Nami wasn't anywhere. He wished she had a cell phone so he could just call her. He missed hanging out with her. Fun stuff always happened when she was around. He bet that if she was around, he could have convinced her to walk around with him.

Wait, he was looking for her. If she was walking around with him, he wouldn't be searching for her, so why would they be walking around? He was getting confused.

He scratched his head as a flashy looking limo drove by in front of him. Out of boredom, his eyes lazily chased the limo until it came to stop in front of a clothing store. Some dude with a seriously ugly mug came out of the store and got into the limo along with a couple other guys and—

Holy shit! Nami!

Luffy stared in wonder as she got in the limo too and it started to make its way down the street. Shaking himself out of his stunned immobility, Luffy ran down the street after the limo. He had to catch up with it!

Luffy couldn't catch up to it. No matter how fast he ran, the limo always evaded him. He almost lost sight of it a couple times, but he managed to find it again as it was detained for stop lights.

He didn't know how many blocks he ran. He didn't think to count them. But his lungs and legs were killing him and yet the damn limo just kept going. Luffy tried to think of a good way to follow the limo that didn't require running anymore. He spotted a bread truck as it pulled up behind the limo and tried to grab onto the back of that to tag along.

The bread truck thing didn't pan out. By the time Luffy reached it, the limo turned onto a different street. Exhausted, Luffy knew he was losing speed and the limo got farther and farther away from him. He was going to lose sight of it!

The limo turned into the underground parking of a tall, glass building ahead of him. Luffy, only able to jog now, made his way to the building but was dismayed to see that the entrance to the parking garage was closed. Disappointed, Luffy made his way around to the front of the building. He saw an entrance and went to it, opening the glass doors to the air conditioned building.

There was a big desk in the middle of the room, and two guys sitting behind it, staring at him. Still huffing a bit from his run and sweating through his tee-shirt, Luffy made his way to the desk.

"I wanna see Nami," he told the men. They looked at each other briefly before looking back at him.

"No one here by that name," one of them said. Luffy frowned. Of course there was. He'd watched the limo with her in it come into this building. These guys were either lying, or didn't know who he was talking about.

"She's a girl," Luffy described, on the off chance they didn't know her. "She's skinny like me and she has orange hair. And brown eyes?"

Luffy didn't remember if he was right about her eyes. He only recalled that they were usually narrowed at him, making it hard to determine their color. The two men looked at him.

"What are you looking for this 'Nami' for?" one asked.

Luffy made a face. "To hang out."

Both guys laughed. "Hang out? That's the first time I've heard it called that."

Luffy started to get annoyed. These two stupid guys weren't doing anything. They were just laughing with those shitty grins like he had just told some dirty joke.

"Well, normally we don't allow someone as young as you in," said one of the guys when he was done laughing. "But somehow, I think the boss is gonna want to meet you. Come with me."

He got up from the desk and led Luffy to an elevator. The two of them ascended to the sixteenth floor of the building and Luffy was pushed out of the elevator into a room full of grumpy looking men.

"What's all this?"

Luffy spotted the ugly dude from earlier sitting at a huge desk. The guy behind Luffy shoved him towards the desk.

"This kid came in looking for a girl called Nami," the guy said. "Even described her for me."

The ugly looked intrigued. "Oh? Did he now?"

"Yeah, said he wants to—to hang out," the guy explained, though he was laughing through his explanation. The ugly stood from his desk and came towards them.

"Hang out," the ugly repeated. Luffy nodded, shrugging. What was with these guys? Did they not know what hanging out was? The ugly snorted. "Sure. You can hang out all you want. If…"

Luffy's eyebrows raised in anticipation. About damn time!

"If you've got money."

Luffy's face fell. His hand automatically went to his back pocket, where his empty wallet was. He'd spent all his money today on food. Still, maybe he could get Gramps to give him more.

"How much does it cost?" Luffy asked, wondering a little at why he had to pay to see his friend. He got to see her at school for free. Granted, school was over now, but still. Seeing Nami should be free. Unless… "Oh, are you her employer?"

The ugly smirked and chuckled. "Employer? Yes, yes I am. Her time belongs to me, and it is very costly. So if you want to _hang out_ with her, you're going to have to put up decent money for it."

"How much?" Luffy asked again.

"Bring me two hundred thousand," the ugly posed with a shitty grin on his face, "and you can _hang out_ all night."

That sounded amazing! A wide grin spread across Luffy's face and he turned to head back to the elevator.

"What's the matter kid?" asked the ugly. "I thought you wanted to _hang out_ with one of my girls?"

"I'll be back in awhile," Luffy assured him, slapping the button to call the elevator before the guy who'd come up with him had the chance. "I'm gonna go get some money."

Luffy got onto the elevator, and the last thing he heard was the ugly laughing, telling him to do just that.


	11. Chapter Eleven: Nami

**Chapter Eleven: Nami**

"Then I went home and got some money and then I came here," Luffy summed up lazily, yawning.

Nami stared at Luffy. She wasn't sure if she was more awed or horrified by his story. Probably awed. Luffy seemed to have the most unbelievable luck. He, and the other boys for that matter, had managed to do the impossible: convince Dracule Mihawk to leave them alive. He should be pushing daisies at that moment, not sitting on her bed.

Yet here he was.

Nami shook her head in disbelief. Of course he was here. Because Luffy did insane things on a daily basis, including coming to see her.

Luffy was slowly blinking his eyes as he sat on the bed, leaning against the wall. After having such an early day herself, Nami understood exactly how he was feeling. She glanced at the clock to see that it was nearly half past one in the morning.

It figured he would be tired. She had no idea what time he had woken up, since today—or rather, yesterday at this point—had been the first day of summer vacations, but he'd said it was early. He looked over at her and shuffled in the bed slightly, trying to sit up straighter.

"So yeah. That's what happened," Luffy summed up again. He stretched his arms over his head and smiled at her. She realized that as tired as he was, he was trying to stay awake as to spend more time with her. Her eyes stung at the thought.

"I'm glad you guys are alright," she admitted truthfully. "You were very lucky. You could have been killed."

"You say that a lot," Luffy accused jovially. Nami frowned.

"Because it's true!" she snapped, smacking his arm. "You're always getting yourself into fights where you could die! It's not sane!"

Luffy laughed at her proclamation. "It's fun!"

It was a ridiculous response to her accusation, but really, what had she expected from Luffy?

"You should probably be heading home," she told him, watching him try to suppress another yawn. "I doubt your grandfather would be approving of you being out in all ours of the morning."

"But the ugly said I could stay until four," Luffy protested."I've got time left. We can still do something. What do you want to do?"

But as he said the words, his eyes drooped. He was fighting a losing battle, though adamant to stay with her. Nami sighed and lied down.

"Come on," she huffed, pulling on his arm until he lost his balance and had to lie down with her. He squirmed awkwardly for a few moments before finding a comfortable spot on his side braced on his arm. Nami shoved a pillow beneath his head and forced him to lie down all the way. She rested her head on his chest for good measure to keep him down.

"This is boring," he complained, trying to bite back a yawn.

"You asked me what I wanted to do," she explained. "I want to sleep. So shut up."

He groaned but did as he was told. He was asleep in minutes. Nami didn't mean to fall asleep too, but the next thing she knew, there was a loud knock at her door and a gruff voice telling them that time was up. Groggily sitting up, Nami glanced down at Luffy and panicked.

He was about to leave! And being oblivious as he was, Luffy would probably let it spill the second he got home that he'd been with her. She had to instill some sort of guard against that in Luffy, and she only had a few minutes to do it before a Fish would come get him to throw him out.

"Luffy, get up," she urged, waking the boy. He groaned and sat up, rubbing at his eyes with the heel of his hand. "The night's over. You have to go home now."

He groaned again, but at least looked at her somewhat consciously now. It would do her no good to tell him this if he was half asleep.

"Look, Luffy," she began, "I don't want everyone knowing where I work, so you have to keep this to yourself. It's a secret."

Luffy was definitely not a morning person. He gave her a sour look as he stretched and cracked his back.

"You can't tell anyone where I am, or how you found me," she instructed. "It's important. If you do, you won't be able to see me anymore."

He stopped stretching and regarded her, as if for the first time taking her words seriously.

"Why?" he asked.

"The work I do is secret," she told him. "Like your grandpa's."

"Gramps?" Luffy repeated.

"Yes," she nodded. "You can't tell my secret. If you do, you'll ruin all my hard work, and I'll never see you again."

Luffy huffed in agitation.

"Not even Zoro?" Luffy asked.

"Especially not Zoro," Nami replied, already able to imagine Zoro's I-knew-that-woman-was-bad-news look. "You can tell absolutely nobody. Don't say even one word about me. Do you understand?"

Luffy was giving her a calculating look. It was weird. She'd never seen him concentrate on something so fiercely except when he was contemplating his dinner options.

"If I keep your secret," he hedged, "can I come see you again?"

Deep down, Nami wanted nothing more than to see Luffy every night, rather than the shitheads she had to deal with on a daily basis. But there was no way that was going to happen. The kid would have to pay two hundred thousand berries every night to see her, and there was no way he'd have that kind of money lying around—

"Yes!" Nami exclaimed loudly, startling Luffy. Nami got up from her bed and went to the chest of drawers, digging through it until she found her book bag. In one of the pockets, she dug out a key.

"Take this key to Conomi Station," she instructed quickly, knowing she was short on time. "Go to box 1981. Take the bag out of it and take it home. Hide it in your room somewhere that no one else will find it."

Luffy took the offered key, looking confused. "Then I can see you?"

Nami nodded her head vigorously. "There's money in that bag. It's my money. You can use it to pay to see me any night you want."

Luffy looked elated at the prospect. "Any night?"

"Every night, if you want," she offered. He grinned widely.

"Coromi Station," he repeated.

"Conomi," Nami corrected. She knew she was fighting a losing battle, though, and dug through her bag again until she found a pen. She took his arm and wrote Conomi Station, Box 1981 on it just as Chew slammed the door open.

"Time to go, lover boy," Chew proclaimed. He grabbed Luffy's arm and towed him out of the room. Nami stood at her doorway, watching Luffy go. He threw her a wave and a grin before disappearing towards the elevator.

.o0o.

Nami was glad she caught a few hours of sleep with Luffy, because it was another short night.

Just a scant five hours after going back to sleep, Kuroobi this time barged into her room to rouse her and drag her out of bed. He told her the robe would be fine today; they weren't leaving Arlong Park. Nami rolled out of bed and followed Kuroobi back towards the elevators and then down a different hallway where Arlong had told her that the aestheticians were. They passed by several closed doors before Kuroobi pointed to an open one near the end of the hall.

Upon entering, Nami felt a wave of uneasiness wash over her. There was a skinny bed in the middle of the room, but it was not used for sleeping. No, she knew what those stirrups sticking out on one end of the bed were. This was a make-shift gynecologist office.

Nope. Nope. Not happening. No way.

Nami turned around to try to duck around Kuroobi and run back to her room, but the fucker slammed the door in her face and locked it before she had the chance to make her escape. The son of a bitch. She hated him. Absolutely loathed him. He was right up there with Arlong. Pretty close to neck-and-neck with him on her list of who she most wanted to see with a bullet in their skull.

Nami sighed and turned to face the room again. There were other things in this room, and most surprisingly, a toilet. Nami didn't want to think about why that was necessary in a room like this. Instead, she looked at the other accoutrements like the stool and the counter and sink. There were even a couple cabinets, but Nami didn't find anything useful to her. Just cotton balls and long Q-tips and some gauze. The most useful thing she found was a box of rubber gloves on the counter. She wanted to scavenge some of those to use when she had to change her sheets after a particularly sperm-heavy customer. Twice now, she had dealt with someone who ejaculated waaaay more than the average guy.

Yeah, the customers had to use condoms when they fucked her, but when she blew them, they could cum on her all they liked. And some did it more profusely than others. The excess semen had to go somewhere, and usually, it was onto her sheets.

Just as she was reaching for the gloves, the door opened. Into the room came Arlong, looking as much like a bastard as he usually did, and another less thug-ish looking man in a white lab jacket carrying a black bag. Nami stared at him for half a moment before realizing that she recognized the man.

This was the doctor from the Flevance Clinic. Her eyes widened in panic for a second before she realized there was nothing to panic about. This man was obviously on Arlong's payroll, too. He wouldn't share her whereabouts to anyone, even if he _did_ remember her. After all, it had been a couple weeks since she'd seen him, and he probably saw a lot of patients at his job. She probably wasn't all that memorable.

"Up on the bed, my dear," Arlong instructed, regaining her attention. The uneasiness returned. Nami unenthusiastically climbed onto the bed, which was covered in crackly white paper and waited to be instructed further. The man from the Clinic dragged the stool over to the bed and sat on it, at the end where the stirrups were.

"So, what are our goals today?" the man asked, rummaging around in his black bag. Nami was confused. She had a fair idea of what this room was used for, but why she had to be subjected to a gynecological visit was a mystery to her.

"She's going to be one of our top earners," Arlong answered. "I can't have her inhibited by bleeding for five to seven days. Only a select few of our customers are into that, so I want the menstrual cycle gone."

Oh. That. Of course. Gotta keep the bottom line in mind.

Nami rolled her eyes. Of course Arlong wouldn't want her to be on her period and not able to work. Never mind that her period typically only lasted like three or four days. She wasn't about to volunteer any information like that to him. Unfortunately, the doctor asked for those details anyway.

"When was the first day of your last menstrual cycle?" the man asked, snapping on a pair of rubber gloves.

"Four weeks ago Sunday," Nami answered with a sigh. It appeared that Arlong was going to stay throughout the whole ordeal, too. It was even more mortifying than parading around in lingerie for him.

"Were you sexually active before you came here?" the man asked, producing a notebook and pen from one of the pockets of his lab jacket.

"Yes," she replied.

"Have any of your previous sexual relationships been without the use of some sort of contraception or STD protection?" he asked next.

"No," she answered dully. She watched as he scrawled on his notepad.

"Is there any chance you could be pregnant?" he asked.

"Doubt it," she told him. "Only ever had sex with condoms."

The man wrote more notes before turning to Arlong.

"Condoms aren't all that great in terms of contraception," he told the yakuza head. "Most people don't use them correctly and therefore the effectiveness is actually only about eighty-five percent. I suggest we do a quick pregnancy test before I move on to the pap smear."

Nami paled. Now she knew what the toilet was for.

Sure enough, the doctor that was on the payroll of the yakuza produced a small, sterilized plastic cup from his bag and handed it to her. Nami's mood fell as mortification skyrocketed, and she slipped off the bed and went over to the toilet.

Ugh. It was so fucked up to have two people watch her while peed in the cup. She was still trying to stave off the shivers of revulsion as she climbed back on the bed. The doctor went over to the counter and began distributing her urine into different Petrie dishes. She watched his back, wondering what the price was for buying his services. With most people, it wasn't very high.

Some men wanted to be a part of Fishman Village for the clout it gave them in the underworld. Some men just wanted to have a hand in dirty dealings, getting some sort of sick physical pleasure from doing something illegal. There were a few people like herself, who let themselves be used in order to protect something precious to them. Nami doubted that such a situation applied to this man, though. Probably, he was doing no more than paying for protection from Arlong's men with his chosen career path. After all, Flevance Clinic was in the territory of Fishman Village and Arlong's men were just as much of thugs as the Don Krieg's had been.

"Well, she's not pregnant, nor does she have a yeast or bladder infection," the doctor spoke up, looking at Arlong again. "I'll have to take some blood samples to run in addition to the pap smear if you want to know about any STDs. But at this moment, if all you're looking for is the suspension of her period, she should be fine with the implant."

The what? An implant? The fuck was that?

"Can't we just schedule a hysterectomy, Water?" Arlong asked. Nami's fingers clenched down hard on the edges of the table. Did he just say hysterectomy? "It's just as effective and I don't have to have it changed out in a couple years."

Nami's mind swam. They were planning to just remove her entire uterus and ovaries? No! No, that was not okay! She wasn't okay with them taking such a drastic measure in order to ensure that she simply didn't have a menstrual cycle. Couldn't she just take a pill or something?

"Unfortunately, she's too young," the doctor, Water was the named Arlong had called him by, answered. "She's still growing as a woman. If we perform a hysterectomy too young, we will have to give her hormonal supplements in order to keep her from going into—"

"Fine. The implant," Arlong conceded unhappily. "At what age can we perform the hysterectomy?"

"Probably twenty-two or twenty-three," Doctor Water told him. "Her body should be done with its growth phase by then."

Arlong nodded in understanding while the doctor sat back down on the stool. Nami was starting to be able to control her breathing again. She'd nearly hyperventilated before the doctor had shot down the idea. For now. She was going to have to either figure a way out of this hell hole before she turned twenty-two or get used to the idea that Arlong was going to take another thing away from her: the choice to have children in the future.

"Go ahead and lie back," Doctor Water instructed. "Set your feet in these. I'm going to do an examination."

The shock had shaken her up quite a bit. When she put her feet into the stirrups, she still jumped when the doctor touched her labia. She swallowed hard and tried to focus on the fact that he wasn't going to do anything down there that probably hadn't been done to her already.

She was wrong.

Something cold and metal slipped between her labia and went up quite a ways. Then, without warning, she heard a metal cranking and the thing inside her pushed her insides apart.

What the hell?! Nami raised her head up off of the bed and attempted to look down at what the bastard doctor was doing to her. She could only see that his face was just a scant few inches from her crotch and now there was something blunt poking her insides. It felt like he'd jabbed his pen up there.

The doctor sat back and Nami watched as he retracted an abnormally long Q-tip from within her and encased it into another sterilized container. He put that one back in his black bag. Abruptly, the metal contraption slipped out of her and she barely got a glimpse of a scary looking device before it was put in the bag as well.

"Go ahead and sit up," Doctor Water told her. Nami was already half way up, trying to peek into his bag. What other demonic devices did he have in there to use on her?

The next set of goodies he pulled out weren't that daunting. They were just some needles and tubes for blood. He wrapped a rubber tourniquet around her upper arm and had her make a fist with her hand as he swabbed her with iodine. A sharp poke in the crease of her elbow later, he was filling three vials with her blood. Those disappeared back into the bag, too.

He released the tourniquet from her arm and then rubbed another cotton ball smelling of isopropyl alcohol over a spot on her upper arm. A new, longer, scarier needle appeared and Nami tensed up as he came at her with it. She looked away as he poked her with that needle. The sharp pain started to burn as he injected something into her upper arm. When it was over and the needle was removed, it still hurt. Kind of bad, actually.

"Be on the lookout for side effects like dizziness, hair loss and nausea," doctor Water advised. "I'll take out the implant if it becomes troublesome, and we'll go for the pill method instead. Otherwise you're good to go. I'll send you the results of the pap smear and blood work in a couple days."

Arlong nodded and Doctor Water left the room. Nami figured she was done, so she got off of the bed.

"Only four nights in and you've already had your first all-nighter," Arlong commented as he personally escorted her back to her room. Nami held her poker face.

"He was young," was all she ventured to comment.

"And eager, I bet," Arlong chuckled. "His enthusiasm was entertaining. What was he like in bed?"

Nami had a harder time keeping a straight face. She mentally floundered for a moment trying to come up with an answer. She didn't dare lie to Arlong; he seemed to know when anyone was lying to him.

"Easily distracted," she settled on. It was true. Luffy usually had the attention span of a toddler and probably would be like that in bed.

In bed. How weird. Nami had a hard time wrapping her mind around that prospect. Luffy being sexually attracted enough to someone to have sex? It was hard to imagine.

"Sounds about right," Arlong chuckled. "The glory of sex and all can be a bit overwhelming the first time."

Nami prayed he'd let the subject drop. After all, they were only a few doors away from her room. Thankfully, Arlong ushered her into her room with a bid to get some sleep because she looked like shit. How so very kind of him to point that out to her. Asshole.

She didn't manage any sleep. Her mind was too alert and horrified by the day to allow sleeping. So she just lay on her bed counting the ceiling tiles over and over until her breakfast came a few hours later.

Her shift was not the best. Right away at two o'clock, there were back to back two-hour rentals. They were repeat customers, so Nami knew a little bit of what to expect from each of them, but the additional time left her floundering a little bit. She'd worked out a little bit of a routine in the last few days.

Usually, she'd chat them up for a minute or so, since most the men who visited liked it when she talked dirty to them. Then she'd spend a couple minutes slowly stripping them of their clothes. That was usually seen as erotic. Only once or twice had she been told to hurry the fuck up. Next up was a blow job. She was sadly pretty good at it now. She would try to dwindle away at least ten minutes blowing the guy. It cut her time down by a quarter that way.

A screw usually followed. Most men were good for about seventeen to twenty minutes. That meant she was over the half-way point when they were done. She'd go back to giving them another blow job and let that last six or seven minutes, but not nearly as long as the first one. By the end of their third load being blown, most men were done and fine with leaving early, since for the most part, they left satisfied.

But two hours? The fuck was she supposed to do for two hours?

Well, the answer for the first one, was he wanted to watch her play with herself. At first, when he said it, Nami stood frozen like a deer in headlights. Play with herself? Like masturbate? She'd never done that before. Subconsciously, her mind registered the fact that she was probably going to have to fake an orgasm (something she'd thought about doing before, when a couple clients got all weird about making her cum and then frustrated when she didn't) but she hadn't tried yet.

Actually, the point that had her stuck was just what was she supposed to do to masturbate? She never had felt the need to before. Plus, the only time she'd ever orgasmed was with Sabo, and she hadn't done anything there but be mortified and eaten out. He'd done all that with his mouth, and there was no way she'd do that to herself, even if her body was flexible like that.

So that left porn.

Being friends with all boys certainly didn't have many advantages, but at least porn was one. Nami had seen plenty in her lunches with the guys and picked out images of the women touching themselves as they were fucked. She doubted any of their touching had to do with self-pleasure; it was probably just to entice the man fucking her.

With that in mind, Nami kick-started herself into gear and began caressing her breasts. She hadn't paid too much attention to the porn, so she was just going with gestures she'd seen in passing. She hoped it was enticing. Her customer eagerly jumped in, reaching in to play with her nipples. He wasn't all that gentle or anything so he just pinched her a lot and she tried to make sounds that might indicate that she was enjoying herself.

If she'd been watching herself, she'd have probably immediately declared 'fake!' but her customer was very into it. After just a couple of minutes of bad acting, he was hard and ready to go again. But that still didn't eat up two whole hours. After a second fuck, he wanted to watch her masturbate _again_. She went for her breasts again, but he wasn't as entertained. After a couple minutes, he told her to spread her legs for him and give him a real show.

It was irritating, to say the least. This fucker said he wanted to know how she got herself off but wanted to tell her how to do it. Moron. So she did as requested and went about pretty much giving herself a self-examination while trying to sound turned on by the process. It ended up much like before; her customer joined in after a while but it wasn't as endurable as when he'd groped her breasts. His answer to a woman's pleasure was to pinch her clitoris real hard and then rub it vigorously like he was trying to scrub a stain out of the carpet.

It was worse, too, when he decided to fuck her again and continue with his overzealous rubbing. It got painful. The muscles of her vagina locked down in reaction to the pain and something unexpected happened: her customer blew his load right away.

It was a relief, to say the least. He'd finally stopped abusing her clitoris. He was a limp body for a couple minutes before he regained his strength and insisted on _another_ blow job. Seriously. This guy had blown his load like five times at that point, but was still going. So Nami got on her knees and went to town again.

It was obvious fairly quickly that he didn't really want a blow job. He just wanted to get hard and then cum all over her face. It didn't take him long either. Nami was glancing over at the clock every few minutes, hoping somehow that her time was up, but it was never ending! She still had like twenty minutes to go.

After his sixth orgasm, the customer wanted to 'do her boobs.' Nami had a fair idea of what he wanted to do, and it didn't sound any more pleasant than anything else she'd done. So when she was made to lie down on her back and her customer sat on top of her, she wasn't really surprised. The mechanics of the new sex position were problematic, though. He had to lean over her and brace himself on his arms, so that meant all his cock did was rub at the space in between her breasts.

Finally, she was made to participate. He instructed her to press her breasts together and use her breasts to give him what was essentially a hand job. Whatever. It was annoying as hell and she was ready to be done. Thankfully, that was the last thing she had to deal with. The awkwardness of the position had used up a lot of time and by the time he ejaculated (on her face again, because why not?) his session was over.

And so onto two-hour customer number two. Nami had a hard time keeping a neutral expression. Her patience quota was used up already. Still, she went to work on customer number two and immediately realized why he had asked for two hours: he was not a two-pump prick. His blow job took forever. Like almost an entire half an hour, which was extremely exhausting for her. And then, of course, he was one of those monstrous ejaculators. Even her hair was damp from the load he dropped on her.

It shouldn't have surprised her that he would take forever to cum while fucking her too. And truthfully, it didn't. What did surprise her was the amount of position changes he wanted. On her back, on her stomach, up against the wall, doggy style, back to on her back, then on her side, and so on. She lost count of how many times he stopped mid-fuck and changed positions. It took over an hour.

But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that after, he wanted to _talk_. He wanted her to tell him how good he was, how she'd never had a fuck like him, how he'd blown her mind, and a whole bunch of unbelievable garbage. For a half an hour.

It was the longest half an hour of her life so far. And that was saying something.

Customer number three was just a fucking cherry on top of her day, too. He was one she hadn't seen before, but not just as a customer. He wasn't one of Arlong's men that she was familiar with. Honestly, there were probably a lot of people that were affiliated with Arlong that she didn't know, but of all the men she'd seen so far, they were for the most part all familiar faces.

Nami had a feeling about this man. A bad one. He ogled her like the men before him did, but there was something in his gaze that she didn't like. She was immediately on edge.

"Can I help you?" she asked, not sure what to say. Usually, she welcomed her customers with a dirty smile and a wink, but not this one. She was going to treat him like a rabid animal: act cautiously and do not approach.

"You can fuck me," he answered with a chuckle. "S'what I paid for."

"How long did you pay for?" she hedged.

"Full hour," he replied, taking the initiative and shucking his shirt. It was then that Nami noticed an odd smell.

Yeah, most of the guys she had to fuck smelled pretty bad; like they were in severe need for a shower, but this was different. This smelled…rotten. Nami took a step back. But there was nowhere she could go, since that small step had butted her up against the bed.

"Hurry up, cunt," he snapped. "I paid twenty thousand for you to screw me. Not for you to stare."

Every sense in Nami's body was screaming no. She didn't want to do it. But she had to. If she didn't, she'd probably be shot, or, by process of elimination, Nojiko or Bell-mère would be shot.

Reluctantly, Nami stepped forward to the man and unbuckled the belt on his pants. She unbuttoned and unzipped them too, reminding herself that she had to do it. She had no other choice. She'd inched his pants down about six inches when she stopped.

Nope.

This man had open sores around his penis. And on it, a rash. It was the source of the rotten smell. Nami let go immediately and ducked around the man. She was out of her door within seconds and halfway down the hall before the man realized he'd been ditched and started shouting at her.

She flew down the one flight of stairs and after entering her old nine digit code, threw open the door to the main floor of Arlong's stronghold. She caught the attention of everyone in the room. It was the normal mish-mash of men, but she ignored them and stared straight at Arlong.

"I refuse."

All was silent for a long six seconds.

"You refuse," Arlong repeated slowly, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"I won't do it," Nami confirmed. "Not that man. I refuse."

Utter silence again. Probably everyone was holding their breath. No one refused Arlong _anything._ Ever. They were all likely waiting to see if he would shoot her where she stood. Nami was waiting for that herself.

"Why?" Arlong asked, surprising her.

"He's got something gross," she answered. "A condom won't cover it."

Arlong stood from his desk across the room. Nami remained where she was, not bothering to back away or any other stupid movement. When Arlong reached her, he took her by the arm and brought her back over to his desk. They waited there for only a half a minute before the elevator doors opened and her customer entered the room.

"What the fuck?" he demanded furiously. "The fuck kind of bullshit is this? I didn't pay twenty thousand for a cunt who won't fuck and runs away at the sight of a cock."

Either this man didn't know who Arlong was, or he thought he was more important than he was. Either way, he shut up pretty quickly when seven men pulled guns from their jackets and turned them on him.

Arlong pulled a gun from a desk drawer and rounded the desk, pulling Nami along with him. Nami glared at the customer even though she wasn't really sure of what was going on. She hadn't expected to live past declaring that she wouldn't fuck the man.

"I have a dilemma," Arlong stated, putting Nami next to the man and walking back a few steps. "I am a business man who takes pride in providing exceptional service to the clientele that frequent my establishment. And here, one of my employees refuses to do her job."

Arlong shot Nami a baleful look, but Nami didn't even flinch under his gaze.

"But I also must not allow actions to occur that would jeopardize the efficiency of my business," he went on, looking over to the customer. "That includes, having my employees suddenly put out of work because they have been infected by a careless customer. A careless customer who signed a certification stating that they were clean of all infectious diseases when they entered this establishment. Under severe penalty."

Nami watched as the man who was formerly her customer paled. Suddenly, the story changed.

"Hey, you know what? Keep the money. I'll be going now," the man backpedaled nervously. When he took a step back, though, the safeties came off the guns pointed at him. The man stopped immediately.

"Going so soon?" Arlong asked. "I was going to give you the benefit of the doubt, you know. Let you prove that you are in fact infection free. If that were the case, there would be no negative action taken against you. I would rid myself of an unruly employee."

Arlong grinned maliciously at her, but Nami was unfazed. She knew that the man next to her was infected with _something_. And he knew it too, by the way he had turned almost green.

Arlong raised his gun and lazily pointed it at the two of them. Nami knew better than to do anything to provoke the yakuza head, but the former customer, not so much. Despite all of the guns on him, he turned and ran for the elevator. He didn't get two steps before Arlong fired off a shot and blew off the back of his head.

Still standing somewhat close to the man when he was shot, Nami got spattered with gore. She made a face of dismay as she tried very hard not to look at the pieces of her former customer as she brushed them off of her. Abruptly, she was yanked by the arm over to the dead man.

"This is absolutely not a behavior I will tolerate," Arlong growled at her as he used the toe of his (probably ridiculously expensive) shoe to kick the dead man from on his stomach to his back. "Refusal is grounds for death. If anyone but you had come to me, I'd have shot you where you stood. But you are a bright girl, so I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt this once. If this man does not have some sort of visible infection, I'll spatter the carpet with your brains too."

Nami stayed silent, though she wanted to tell him she'd seen the evidence for herself and had no doubt in her mind that something was wrong with that man. But Arlong was furious and doing anything but be dragged around by the arm and be yelled at would have probably just made him kill her.

"Let's see what this scum was hiding," Arlong stated, jerking his head at the two nearest Fish. They came over and relieved the dead man of his pants. Nami saw exactly what she'd seen in her room: open sores and a rash on his genitals. A glance out of the corner her eye showed that Arlong was still very angry. Nami didn't even dare to breathe.

"Syphilis," he muttered. "I want to know who this fucker is. Who he works for. I want to know every single solitary thing there is to know about this shitty corpse and I want to know by the end of today. Anyone who's ever been affiliated with this fuck is on the black list until further notice."

Fish moved about in a busy manner, obviously trying to placate Arlong in his furious state. Nami still hadn't allowed herself to take a breath.

"This incident is going to force me to have to redefine how I do business with my customers," Arlong growled as he towed her towards the elevator. As they rode up one floor, Arlong complained. "I suppose I should not be surprised that there is no honor among criminals, but I had hoped that the threat of immediate death upon finding a person in violation of their assurance of clean health contract would be sufficient to keep out disease. Now it seems I will have to check out every new customer that walks in. I know that none of _my_ men would dare such an act."

Nami finally allowed herself to breathe. It seems he was mad at doing a revamp on his 'business' rather than her.

"This will take time and severely cut into my profits," he groused. He shot her a dark look. "You had better be prepared. You're going to have to work like a dog to make up for my loss in profits."

Mentally, Nami groaned. It may have been her that brought it to light, but obviously, letting clientele in that weren't a part of Fishman Village was going to be something that had to be addressed in the future anyway. Clientele that weren't a part of Fishman Village…did that mean Luffy would be subject to this 'check out?'

"How are you going to check the outsiders?" Nami asked, though with much trepidation. It wasn't wise to question Arlong when he was angry.

"What's it to you?" Arlong returned, his feistiness growing. Yep definitely shouldn't have questioned him.

"I was just thinking it'd be easiest to do blood tests," she floundered, trying not to gain any more of his ire. "I mean, I'm not a doctor, but in school they taught us that almost all STDs can be detected through blood tests. And those usually have results in a day or two."

Arlong sighed deeply. "It's not a half bad idea. And it won't be costly to me to just have Water do it."

Nami had turned his irritation away from herself but had inadvertently created more work for someone else. Probably, she shouldn't care that the doctor from the Flevance Clinic would end up with the job, but she felt a little bad. Though he served the yakuza, he probably wasn't a bad guy to begin with. Probably just trying to cover his ass like herself.

"Take a shower," Arlong ordered her, leaving her on the seventeenth floor. "And don't ever pull a stunt like this again. Am I understood?"

"Very," she assured him and scurried off to the lavatory to rinse off the brain matter that was probably still stuck to her. At least, after that hellish start to her shift, everyone else was a breeze. She felt like the next four customers breezed through. Just two blow-and-gos and two single hour customers. Easy, in comparison.

Finally, with a moment to herself, Nami sat down on her bed and realized that she needed a sheet change already. There were spare sets in her chest of drawers and she decided that she would go ahead and change them out. She was just tucking the new set around the shitty mattress when her door opened again. Nami rolled her eyes. What the hell was it this time?

Forcing a smile as she turned around, her eyes widened for a moment before a real smile broke out across her face. She kicked the soiled sheets to the corner of the room and crossed it to embrace her next customer.

It was Luffy.

.o0o.

Life had improved considerably in the last three weeks for Nami. Though she was a whore in the yakuza and had to spend her afternoons and early evenings performing sexual acts for strangers who rented her, her nights were spent in pleasant company.

Luffy had fulfilled her unspoken wish and came to see her every night. He usually showed up around eight o'clock and always paid for the whole night. Together, they would sit around and talk about the crazy antics that Luffy got into during the day with the guys, or sometimes watch movies on the handheld gaming device Luffy sometimes brought along.

No matter what they did, Nami was happy. Or at least, as happy as she could be given her current situation.

Never in her life had Nami ever thought she would meet someone who would become as important to her as Luffy. The only people she'd ever cared about before she met him were Nojiko and Bell-mère. Now, Nami couldn't imagine her life without Luffy. There was no way that she would have been able to get through her nights without him.

Everything was going to be fine and dandy. Until the money ran out.

The thought nagged at the back of her mind, but Nami knew she could ignore it for awhile at least. With the amount of money she had accumulated, Luffy could keep buying her nights for probably a year and a half. After that, she'd think of something. Everything would be fine as long as someone didn't come along and buy her permanently—

Nami froze in changing the sheets on her bed before Luffy arrived. Why couldn't Luffy just buy her? That money didn't have to be just for buying one night at a time.

Why the thought hadn't occurred to her earlier, Nami didn't know. What she did know was that for the last three weeks, she'd been wasting the money that could potentially buy her freedom. She was furious with herself and her slowness on the matter.

Roughly guesstimating, she thought that there was close to ninety eight million berries left in that duffle bag. If she was doing her math right. The only matter now was to get Luffy to find out how much it would cost for him to buy her permanently. It could involve explaining some things she didn't really want to explain.

The question of how to approach the matter gnawed at her throughout the night, until quarter to four hit and she knew she had to talk to him or waste another night's worth of money.

"Ne, Luffy," she began, poking him in the shoulder for good measure to make sure he wasn't falling asleep on her.

"Huh?" he replied, rolling over to face her. She could tell he was half asleep. She sat up and pulled on his arm, pulling him up too. He somewhat unwillingly obliged, groaning as he sat upright.

"I need you to do something for me tomorrow," she told him, feeling a little dread creep in. Right now, all Luffy did when he came in was pay his usual two hundred thousand to the cashier at the reception desk and head on up to her room. No interaction with Arlong was necessary for that. But this…

"What?" Luffy prompted when she didn't explain right away.

"I…I need you to ask my boss something," she told him, trying to mentally steel herself. If he saw how much this bothered her, he'd probably start asking questions.

"The ugly?" Luffy responded, his head quirked to the side. "Whaddaya need to ask him?"

"Luffy, you need to pay close attention, okay?" Nami instructed, taking his face in her hands and looking into his eyes. "This is a question that only you can ask. I can't ask it. And my boss can't know you're asking for me."

Luffy blinked a couple times. "Okay."

"I need you to ask him…" she trailed off, now unable to meet his eyes. Damn it, girl, just say it! "I need you to ask him how much it would be to buy me. Permanently."

Luffy was silent for a long time. Probably a good thirty seconds, which in Luffy-terms, was like an eternity. Finally, Nami looked up to see what was keeping the boy so silent.

He looked confused. Utterly confused. Like someone had given him a complex math problem and told him to solve it in his head. She might have found the confounded expression cute if she had not been worrying about his silence.

"Why would I need to buy you?" he finally asked. "No one owns you."

Okay. Silence was decidedly better than _that_ question. Weighing her words very carefully, Nami spoke.

"I work for Arlong," she began. "I will always work for Arlong unless someone…buys me away from him. Like a rival company. But I don't know of a rival company that wants me. And I don't want to work for Arlong for forever. So I want you to buy me. Then we could hang out forever. Because you would be my new boss. Doesn't that sound great?"

Luffy still looked like he was mentally tallying a math problem. The only difference in his face was the scrutiny as he digested her words. Would he go for it?

"Why can't you just quit?" he asked. Damn him for asking all these important questions. Why couldn't he be oblivious as usual?

"When I signed up for this job," Nami scrambled to answer, "I was told that there were only two ways to leave. To be bought by another company or to be…fired."

Technically, being killed was probably the equivalent to getting fired, so it wasn't a lie.

"Why did you sign up for a job like that?" Luffy demanded, finally no longer looking confused at the situation. Now he just looked a little annoyed and put out.

"I know, I made a dumb mistake," Nami relented with a small laugh. "I honestly didn't think that I'd be here this long. I thought I'd have been fired a long time ago."

It was true. She hadn't expected to make it to the age of fifteen, let alone sixteen.

"I guess I can ask the ugly," Luffy relented. A thought occurred to him. "If I'm your boss, you have to do what I say, right?"

Where was he going with this?

"I guess," she shrugged.

"Then you can hang out with the guys again," Luffy proclaimed. "They miss you. They all complain that you're gone. Sanji complains the most, but everyone misses you a lot."

Nami felt a small smile creep onto her lips. It felt kind of nice to be missed so vehemently.

"Your mom and sister too," Luffy added. "They come over all the time and complain to Gramps because you're gone. They say it's his fault."

Her smile vanished at the mention of her family.

"Is it his fault?" Luffy asked, somewhat serious as he looked at her. "Is Gramps the one making you do secret work?"

"No," Nami answered honestly, though she did want to blame the whole thing on Garp. If he was better at what he did, organizations like Arlong's wouldn't exist in the first place. "Your grandpa is not my boss. Arlong is. He's the one making me do secret work."

Reality set in with those words. Nami had to make contingency plans if Luffy _did_ manage to buy her. She and her family could not stay in East Blue—hell, they probably would have to flee the country of One Piece. She could barter that from Garp, couldn't she? With all the information she had on Arlong and his yakuza, Nami could find a way to get out of East Blue, even if Luffy spent every last berry Nami had earned to buy her from Arlong.

"When I'm your boss, then we can hang out for forever," Luffy declared, echoing her words from earlier. But they were no longer true. If Luffy bought her from Arlong, Nami would have to leave everything in the East Blue behind. Including Luffy.


	12. Chapter Twelve: Nami

**A/N:** This one gets rough, ladies and gents. So please take this as your warning.

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve: Nami**

Nami's Wednesday was not a typical Wednesday by far.

It was the first time Nami had worn one of her 'special occasion' dresses. Her afternoon shift had been cancelled and she was given over to the hands of people she'd never seen before to be made 'presentable.' Nami normally took care of her own appearance and hygiene, but today was apparently special.

She was taken to a room she'd never been in before and instructed to lie on a tiny bed. It wasn't long until a group of women who were not Mermaids came in and began slathering her legs down in hot wax to rip her hair out. Nami gritted her teeth and bore with the evil treatment without complaint until she was told to pull her knees to her chest and spread her legs.

Okay, her legs, arms, and underarms, Nami could handle. But her vagina? Nami made silent promises of equal pain towards the women who stripped her crotch completely bare of hair. At least the rest of her afternoon wasn't as painful. Her short hair had been curled into soft waves and makeup had been applied in a heavy hand to make her appear much closer to mid-twenties rather than mid-teens.

She was clothed in some of her new fancy underwear while the dress that had been chosen for her was one of the dresses Arlong had liked most during their shopping trip. It was a floor length red number that was sleeveless and slit at both sides up the length of her legs. Inlaid were tiny gold and black embroidered sakura blossoms that were matched by the black and gold stilettos she wore. Nami recalled that the dress had held a price tag of seven hundred thousand berries.

Whoever the 'honored guest' was tonight, Arlong was pulling out all of the stops. He was apparently adamant that only the best be shown, since on her way down to the sixteenth floor, the only Fish she saw were in black suits and ties. The entire floor had been cleared of its usual furniture. In place of the large desk and leather chairs and couches, one long table stretched the length of the building.

Something was wrong with the whole set up. Nami could feel it in her bones. But she couldn't tell what since there was so much bustling going on by the Fish. Since when did the Fish ever bustle? It was like they all were afraid one wrong move would cost them their lives.

"Ah, perfect."

Nami unwillingly turned her gaze to Arlong. He was walking towards her, also impeccably dressed, as he appraised her.

"Your job is easy tonight," Arlong told her. "You will stay at Hachi's side the entire time. You will smile and look alluring. If anyone comes up to speak with you, you will be charming as you invite them upstairs. You will say nothing that doesn't pertain to being a Mermaid. Can do this, little Mikan?"

Mikan was her Mermaid name. All of the Mermaids had aliases. Nami spotted Koi and Sakura standing at Chew and Kuroobi's sides and knew that they had been given the same instructions.

"Yes, boss," Nami answered as Hachi came to stand by her.

"We are having some very special guests tonight," Arlong relayed, though rather than sounding pleased, he seemed more agitated. "If I hear, see, or even _think_ you have misbehaved in any way, our agreement will become instantly null and void. Am I understood?"

He meant that the protection Nami 'paid' for pertaining to her mother and sister would no longer exist and they would become fair game.

"Impeccably," Nami replied. Arlong smiled and gave her cheek and affectionate pat before returning to barking orders at his men. Shortly thereafter, the elevator doors opened and several people began filing out. Nami didn't even bother to look at any of them; she hadn't been asked to make eye contact, only look pretty. So she put on her most alluring smile and stood at Hachi's side as they took up residence in one of the corners of the room.

Mostly, she watched Arlong. She really hated him, but his nervousness was out of character. Something was going on that had riled him, and if anything went wrong, she knew she'd see it from him before anyone else and could find a way to make herself scarce.

Many people spoke with Arlong. A bed-ragged looking man with sunglasses and snot hanging out of his nose, a tall man with long brown hair and two red tattoo bars down his face, a hulk of a man with a weird gold face mask, and someone that Nami couldn't see behind a huge pink feather coat were the ones that made Arlong practically tremble with fear.

Gradually, everyone sat down at the long table. Ironically, it was not Arlong who sat at the head of it, but the weirdo with the pink coat. It was then when Nami could begin to hear the snippets of conversation being had.

"So Jinbei tells me you have eighty-six percent of the East Blue under your control," someone said. Nami couldn't tell who was speaking since the majority of the 'special guests' were seated with their backs to her.

"Indeed I do," Arlong replied, doing a fairly good job of not sounding intimidated. He probably had his Fish fooled, but Nami knew better. "There are only a few pockets of resistance left, thanks to the information handed to me by one of my members."

"Oh?" said someone, drawing out the single syllable word. "Someone whose ability to gather information is on par with that of Crocodile?"

Nami internally snorted at that comparison.

"Just someone who was in the right place at the right time," Arlong clarified. "A stroke of luck that I cashed in on."

"Too true," agreed someone else. "To be able to strike against the Don Krieg's mafia right after they'd been raided by the Special Police suggests that your member was very deeply infiltrated with ranks of the police that is mostly unknown to the criminal element."

Accidentally infiltrated, Nami mentally corrected. She hadn't meant to be an informant.

"I'd like to meet this person," someone stated, and Arlong paled. Nami wondered how he would play that one off. There was no way he could possibly tell the truth.

"Any time you like," Arlong offered, sounding a little nervous. Contrary to what Nami had thought, Arlong pointed directly at her. "May I introduce to you all, my little Mikan. My newest Mermaid."

Nami looked down and away in attempt to look demure and shy. Hopefully it was alluring. Hopefully, it wouldn't get her killed either. What was Arlong thinking, telling the truth?

"One of my top earners," Arlong went on, bragging. It made sense now. He was trying to garner revenue by pointing her out, hoping someone would want to buy some of her time. "Her nights are regularly booked completely, but tonight her agenda is clear, if anyone is interested."

He was overselling her, but Nami could do nothing about it.

"How, pray tell, does a Mermaid get the information she did?" someone asked. "Lying on one's back all day doesn't sound like a very effective way to gather information, unless you have chatty officers from the Special Police visiting regularly, in which case you have bigger problems than the Don Krieg mafia."

Arlong laughed, but it seemed forced.

"My dear Mikan was, until recently, a Messenger," Arlong explained. "She was promoted after her last assignment."

"What a pity," someone lamented. "You could have used her much more where she was. Such a waste."

"I guarantee she is _not_ wasted as a Mermaid," Arlong contradicted. "I get much more use of her now, rather than when she was only running around beating up encroachers after school."

"Regardless, the time table is set," someone interrupted. "Can you have all of East Blue under your control in the allotted time?"

Nami had no idea what they were talking about. Hell, she hadn't even heard that Arlong worked under someone else's hand until that conversation. Originally, when she'd chosen what criminal element she wanted to join for protection, she'd chosen Arlong since he appeared to be the strongest at the time. It seemed that some of his strength was coming from elsewhere.

"Of course," Arlong assured them. "As I said, there are only small pockets of resistance left. Small timers like Alvida. They will fall within days."

"Good. I would hate to have to call in Jinbei for trivial matters such as these."

Arlong wilted at the mention of Jinbei. A bell sounded in Nami's head and she knew whose hand Arlong was under.

Dinner was served then, and most of the conversation died out. Nami allowed herself brief glances at the table now and again to see if anyone had their eye on her. She hoped not. She wanted to be released to the confines of her room to wait for Luffy to arrive. With Arlong occupied by what appeared to be a very tense business meeting, she knew Luffy would not be able to ask him how much she would be to buy off permanently.

Still, though no one she could see was looking at her, Nami felt like she was being watched. It made her uneasy. She knew she was fidgeting by the time dinner was cleared and the sake brought out. It was finally then that the Mermaids were allowed to go back to their rooms to wait on customers.

Once in hers, Nami immediately took off her heels. She hated the sight of them. She put them into a drawer in her dresser so she wouldn't have to look at them anymore. Next, she stripped herself out of the costly dress as carefully as she could, since she didn't want to snag it or something and have Arlong take the expense of the dress out of her hide.

She dressed in her robe, since it was still early and she could have a customer or two before Luffy arrived. Not that Luffy cared what she was dressed in anyway. He'd seen her in her robe over a dozen times now and had yet to say anything about her appearance. It was a pretty sad, how little she affected the boy. She wondered if he had hormones at all in that gangly boyish body.

She heard low whistling coming from down the hall. At first, Nami didn't recognize the song being whistled, but then it came to her: it was the Loguetown Senior High School fight song. Nami smiled unconsciously, knowing it must be Luffy on his way to her. She quickly finished putting away the expensive dress into one of her drawers.

"You're early! Usually, you don—"

Nami turned to see someone other than Luffy standing in her doorway. He was lean and tall. Very tall. And solemn. No emotion crossed his face at the sight of her.

And he was familiar.

Nami tried to wrack her brain to remember where she had seen this young man before. She hadn't seen him downstairs at the dinner party, she knew. So why was he familiar? She looked for distinguishing features.

Aside from his height and lack of expression, there was the long blade strapped to his back. A nodachi, if she remembered right. It was almost as long as he was tall. That he was allowed to carry any sort of weapon within Arlong's stronghold showed that either he was a guest of very high importance or a guest that had the ability to subdue anyone in the stronghold. But that was a thought for later.

His next distinguishing feature was his clothes. They were casual for the most part, aside from the large hat he wore. It was covered in fur. That was a staple on just about every bit of clothing from the North Blue suburb. It was a good guess that he wasn't from around East Blue.

But then, why was he so familiar?

It was when he shifted to walk into the room that she realized the familiarity. He had to stoop to get in the doorway, being so tall, and he shifted to the side and she caught sight of something white hanging off of the nodachi sheath. A little white bear.

This was the boy from Flevance Water Clinic. He was the second year who went to her school. Though she still did not know his name, she instantly felt dread at his presence. What was a boy from her school doing in Arlong Park?

In two long strides, the boy—no, it wasn't appropriate to call this person a boy, he was too big—the man had crossed the length of her room and stood in front of her. He narrowed his eyes, unshouldering his nodachi and setting it against the wall. Nami watched the little white bear sway for a moment until she felt fingers on her arm.

He was gliding his hand up her arm, lifting the sleeve of her robe as he went. When he got to her upper arm, he turned her a little and looked expectantly. Nami glanced at the spot he scrutinized and saw the yellowish remains of the last of her bruises from the fight with the Black Cat gang.

Oh shit. He recognized her.

His hand left her arm and her sleeve fell back down. Nami tried to shrink away from him, but she was caught between him and the chest of drawers that held her fancy clothes. Roughly, he grabbed her chin and forced her to look up at him.

"I hear you're a good fuck."

His voice was deep and seemingly disinterested, but his eyes scrutinized every inch of her face.

"I guess," she replied, not knowing how to answer. According to Arlong, she was one of his best, but he'd been bragging her off at the time.

"There's some punk who comes and buys your entire night every night," the man countered. "Has been for the last three weeks I hear."

She'd forgotten to take into account Luffy. If a person looked at the amount of money she brought in on a daily basis, yeah, she was probably the best earning Mermaid Arlong had. Maybe Arlong's boasting hadn't been all lies.

"So?" she shrugged. The grip on her chin tightened.

"I've come to see for myself," he returned. He used his grip on her to throw her face away from him and proceeded to shuck his shirt.

Fine. He was a customer. Whatever. Surreptitiously glancing at her clock, Nami saw that it was close to seven. Luffy would be there in an hour. She'd fuck this guy and get him the hell out of there.

"How long did you buy?" Nami asked. Somehow she knew this man wouldn't be just a blow-and-go.

"I get you as long as I fucking please," he snidely responded, undoing the belt of his pants. "You should show me what makes that punk come back every night."

Nami raised an eyebrow, but did not comment. By the way he leaned against her bed without sitting on it, he was obviously expecting a blow before they got down to business. Knowing that relenting would get him to leave faster, she kneeled down in front of him.

"So far I ain't impressed," he chided, crossing his arms. "You ain't exactly hot shit to look at."

She figured he was trying to rile her up. She ignored him, slipping his belt from the loops of his pants and placing it on the bed. She unbuttoned his pants and, using a tactic she'd seen on the internet when the boys were looking up porn on their phones at lunch, she unzipped his fly with her teeth.

Looking up at him, she saw him smirk, clearly not impressed. Putting her hands on the fabric of his pants at his knees, she gave a sharp jerk, pulling the pants down despite him leaning against the bed. His hand settled into her hair and yanked back sharply.

"You best be nice to me," he warned. "When I play rough, I draw blood."

"That's against the rules," she recited. He grinned maniacally.

"I don't have to adhere to your 'rules,'" he spat, giving her hair another yank before letting go.

Fucker. Everyone had to follow the rules, or risk the wrath of Arlong. He put one mark on her beyond a hickie and he'd be—

The nodachi. He carried the nodachi around Arlong Park and no one stopped him. Nami realized that he may be right. He may be able to subjugate the rules if he was stronger than Arlong himself.

Nami felt a wave of fear pass through her. Stronger than Arlong? Nami had only once ever seen her boss cower at the people downstairs. And the mention of Jinbei. Was this man—a second year in her own damn school—that big a force to be reckoned with?

Struggling with her inner thoughts, Nami mechanically reached up and began sliding down his boxer briefs. She'd done dozens upon dozens of blow jobs at that point that she could do it in her sleep. She mentally mulled over the possibility of someone being that powerful at her age as she teased his cock and massaged his sac.

She was awarded with a backhand. Stunned, she looked up in confusion. It wasn't like he wasn't enjoying it; he was fully erect and seeping precum.

"Pay attention," he snapped. "The best fuck in the house better not be some cunt that spaces out as she fucks. Any whore can do that. What makes you so fucking special?"

Nami felt a trickle of blood running down her upper lip and wiped it away with the sleeve of her robe. He wasn't kidding when he'd threatened to draw blood. She continued massaging his sac and put her grip around his cock, giving a few twisting pumps as she spread his precum across him.

She gave him a wary glance to prove she was paying attention and he smirked. The bastard was enjoying himself, despite his complaints. Inwardly sighing, Nami opened wide and took him into her mouth, deepthroating him right off the bat. She was mollified to see his arms uncross and fall to his sides, his hands gripping the sheets of the bed tightly.

She backed off and gave a few leisurely bobs down his cock aided by her hand before deepthroating him again. She could feel his sac contract in her hand so she pulled back until only the tip of him was in her mouth before going all the way down again, dragging her teeth lightly across him. His hand gripped her hair forcefully as he shot his load down the back of her throat.

The hand in her hair pulled her back about an inch so he could look at her.

"Speed doesn't count as talent," he panted slightly. She couldn't retort with his cock in her mouth, but she wanted to tell him that the sperm running down her throat spoke otherwise.

He finally let go of her hair and she let his rapidly softening penis slip out of her mouth. She re-gripped him, tighter this time and stroked long and hard to get him back to ready. He didn't want to admit defeat against her oral skills? Fine. She had practically perfected the art of pulling an orgasm from a man. Let him tell her she still sucked when he was shuddering with release with her on top of him.

Standing while still stroking him, she pulled at the tie that held her robe closed. The satin material easily loosened and soon the robe was sliding off her shoulders and getting caught on her occupied hand. Letting go to let the robe slide to the floor, she saw that he was fully erect again and ready to go.

She glanced up at him coyly and received that damnable smirk in return. She went to her chest of drawers and opened the top one, grabbing a condom and ripping the seal. He grabbed it out of her hand and threw it towards the garbage.

"We ain't using that shit," he snapped. "I hate those."

"All customers have to—" she started.

"I ain't no goddamn customer," he told her. "You want me to go downstairs and tell that lily-livered piece of shit that calls himself the head of this yakuza that you're being difficult?"

"I'm just following the rules," she defended. He slapped her again and put his hand around her throat. With one hand, he easily closed off her air passageway and lifted her until only her toes brushed the ground.

"I told you, I don't have to follow the fucking rules," he growled at her. "I don't like repeating myself."

He dropped her. She barely caught herself, sucking in much needed air as she massaged her throat. He resumed leaning on the edge of the bed and looked at her expectantly. A little apprehensively, she rested her hands on his shoulders and pushed back slightly, forcing him to fully seat himself on the bed. But only the edge of it. Then she straddled him, gripping his shoulders for balance as she perched on the edge of the bed.

It seemed she was going to have to work for it, since he didn't move his hands from their spot gripping the bed linens, but she'd expected as much. She let go of one of his shoulders only long enough to grip his cock and insert the tip of him inside her. She regained her grip on his shoulder and slowly eased down until he was fully seated inside of her.

She could tell by the tight muscles in his neck that he was affected by her, no matter what he decided to say. So, rather than listen to him blather about how terrible she was when she obviously wasn't, she arched her back so she could reach his mouth to kiss him.

She didn't like to kiss the men who came to her for sex. In truth, she didn't like kissing period. There were too many unknowns with kissing, the most obvious one being the fact of not knowing the oral hygiene of the other, that turned her off to it. But that didn't mean she wasn't good at it.

One time, on a dare (order), she had been obliged to kiss one of the other Mermaids for the Fish. A simple peck wouldn't suffice, so she and the Mermaid had gone all out to give the guys a show. She'd learned some interesting things with that experience.

She hadn't been sure that the man would even accept her kiss, since he may hold some of the same turn offs as she did, but he seemed to be willing. She tentatively licked his bottom lip before nipping at it gently, which of course made him smirk. It didn't matter, though, since he opened his mouth and that was the whole point.

Long, gentle strokes with her tongue. That was the first thing the Mermaid had taught her. The second was the gentle nip. Sometimes his lip, sometimes his tongue, sometimes his neck when she broke away for air. All the while, she was slowly pumping up and down on him, rising until the only the tip was lodged in and falling until he was fully buried.

She wasn't surprised that his hands found their way to her hips. The slow torture she'd been subjecting him to could only be taken for so long. He'd lasted probably a good five minutes. He gripped her tightly and slammed her down onto him, driving him further than before and causing her to pull away from his mouth and grimace in pain as he hit her cervix.

"Enough with this bullshit," he growled, leaning his forehead against hers. "It's boring."

Rather than boring, Nami figured he was about ready to bust a nut again. Still, he had made his point very clearly by once again proving he could hurt her if he wanted, so she wiggled forward on the bed, intending to ride him through his upcoming orgasm.

"No," he denied, picking her up by the grip on her hips. "You're on the bottom."

Oooookay. The man apparently had control issues. He somewhat roughly dropped her onto her back on the bed, which was weird since he was still fully seated in her, and climbed over her. Whatever. Nami could work her magic on her back just as easily as on top of him.

He of course tried to start pounding away at her, but he was soon unable. Nami had excellent control of her kegel muscles and was soon using those vaginal muscles to clamp down on him. She saw his shoulders shudder as the tendons stuck out on his neck while he tried to stave off his orgasm. He gave her a dark look and leaned down over her, clamping down on her nipple with his teeth. He tightened his teeth until she released her muscles and let him move as he liked.

"Don't make me be mean to you," he warned her after he let go of her nipple.

"I thought I was supposed to be showing you why I'm the best fuck here?" she retorted, massaging her poor nipple. "Not lying back and taking it like any other whore."

He narrowed his eyes at her. With a sharp snap of his hips, he collided with her cervix again. She didn't cry out, but she barely contained a moan of discomfort.

"This is about what I want," he spat. "And I want to pound you like a jackhammer right now, got it?"

She apparently didn't need to answer, because that's exactly what he did. He thrust in shallow, short bursts for a couple of minutes before dropping his head against her chest and slowing to a crawl when his orgasm hit.

She felt him slowly sliding out and another sensation she wasn't used to: leaking. Throughout all the fucking she'd done, it had always been with a condom as per the rules, so the foreign sensation of excess semen leaking out of her felt gross. She tried to not let the displeasure show on her face as the man raised his head and looked at her.

"Again," he demanded, sliding off the bed and pulling her along. Somewhat wobbly, she stood as well. He turned her so her back was to him and bent her over the bed. Great. Now she was lying in a sticky, damp spot. She turned her head and looked back at him, seeing him stroke himself as he tried to bring himself to ready again.

"Do that thing you were doing before," he told her. She gave him a blank look. What thing? She'd been doing a lot of _things_ before. "That thing with your cunt."

Nami turned away from him and rolled her eyes. His language was deplorable, even for a thug. In less than a minute, he was pushing back into her until his hips met with her butt. It wasn't as deep of a penetration as before, so Nami reveled in the fact that he couldn't cervix-check her if she did something he didn't like.

He braced his arms on either side of her and began a lazy pace in and out. She let him throw a few strokes before she used her muscles to grip him tightly. His breathing was hard as he pulled and pushed against the added friction. He leaned his head against her shoulder as he thrust, gazing his teeth against her skin before biting her.

It didn't hurt, per se, but Nami wasn't comfortable with his bites. They had the potential to be worse, she knew. When he took a moment to pause and steel himself, she rotated her hips in a figure eight. It earned a deep groan from him, as well as a sharp thrust.

Seeing as he wasn't telling her that he didn't want her to do that again, she went ahead and did.

"Fuck," he groaned, down on his elbows now. His chest was almost flush with her back. She had one last thing she could do, and she could only do it in this position. She wiggled underneath him a little bit which brought on more cussing, but managed to cross her legs.

He restarted his thrusting, but didn't make it very far before she felt his entire body shaking with effort. Crossing her legs while bent over had given back something that repeated usage had taken away: she felt as tight as a virgin again. It was only four or five more thrusts before he was done for.

His full weight fell onto her back, which was a substantial amount for someone who appeared so skinny. He huffed with exertion in her ear while one of his arms dug between her stomach and the mattress to hold her where she was.

Like she could go anywhere with him lying on top of her and still inside her.

"Well, well, well. Looks like I missed a good show."

The huffing in her ear stopped and the orgasm-slackened body above her tensed up. Nami turned her head towards the door and saw a flashily dressed blonde in sunglasses standing there. The man on top of her immediately pulled away from her and drew up his pants.

"Over already?" the blonde asked, stepping into the room. Three people made it somewhat crowded, even though Nami was on the bed. She had rolled over and sat up, wondering if this was her next client. But glancing at the clock, it was after eight. Luffy was usually here by now.

The blonde strolled over to her, taking her chin in his hand and moving her head from side to side as if he were judging a piece of meat. Which he probably was.

"She's not much to look at," the blonde stated, dropping her chin and looking at the other man. "What do you think, Law? Was she worth the reputation?"

The other man, Law, shrugged. "Fucks like a champ, I s'pose."

"Really?" the blonde asked, surprise evident in his voice. Law held up three fingers. The blonde chuckled. "She made you blow your load three times? I'd say she is something special then."

Law had regained his indifferent demeanor, all smirks and haughtiness gone. Nami began to wonder about the blonde man. He didn't have any weapons on him that Nami could see, but judging by Law's body language, the blonde was the clear threat in the room.

"Shall I have a go, then?" the blonde proposed. He turned to Nami, smiling in a way that made her stomach fill with dread. Somehow, Law's apprehensive nature around the blonde didn't seem so farfetched anymore.

"Here you are, Donquixote," Arlong's voice called from the hall. He sounded both agitated and placating. Arlong came to stand in the doorway, since there really wasn't any space left in the room anymore. Nami saw that his eyes looked panicked. "Enjoying the selection of Mermaids, I see."

"My man Law came to see if the rumors about the red-headed Mermaid were true," Donquixote explained. "He seems to think there is merit to the rumors. So I've decided to have a go."

Arlong looked a little upset at the prospect, and the man Law looked pitying. It was then that Nami knew her fears about the man were right. She couldn't say no, lest she want a bullet in the brain, so when Donquixote pulled her off the bed and turned her around to face away from him and pushed her up against the bed, she didn't protest.

"My, my. You really left her sloppy, didn't you, Law?" Donquixote commented, probing her with two fingers and spreading the leaking fluid around. She jerked when one of his fingers pushed against her anus. And it wasn't on accident. More fluid was spread there and his fingers began pushing with more force against her. "I bet she's a virgin."

If he was referring to her ass, yes she was. And she wanted to stay that way! She began to struggle, now preferring the bullet to the brain in comparison to what seemed likely to come. A large hand slammed forcefully into the back of her head and pushed her face into the mattress. Momentarily stunned, her body slackened and her arms were grabbed and pulled painfully behind her. She felt the satin of her robe tie tightening around her arms to bind them together and realized she was being immobilized.

Her first instinct was to raise her torso from the bed, but his hand was pushing a good amount of weight into the middle of her back now. The other hand was undoing his pants.

This was going to happen, she realized. There was nothing she could do. She racked her brain for information on anal sex. She'd heard other Mermaids talking to one another about it a little, and the only thing she could remember was that the more she tensed up, the more it would hurt. She tried to calm herself down and remain as untense as possible.

"Don't stop now," Donquixote cooed at her. "I like it when you struggle. Makes it better."

Nami cringed as she felt his cock pushing against her anus. She tried to remain slack, but the more he pushed the more she tensed up. Finally, she felt the tip of him enter her. It felt awful. She could have sworn that the edges of her anus were tearing apart.

"I have a feeling she's gonna be a loud one," Donquixote predicted, pausing with just the tip in. "Law, why don't you go fill that mouth so we don't have to listen to it."

Nami's head was turned his way, so she could see the look that Law was giving her. He looked like he knew what was to come for her, and that he didn't wish it on her.

"No thanks," he passed. "I don't want her biting my dick off on accident."

"Aw, she won't bite your dick off," Donquixote replied jovially. "Will you, sweetheart?"

At this rate, Nami didn't know. If it was worse than this, and the look she was getting from Law said it would be, she might just do it.

She was struck on the behind with a stinging slap of a belt. It automatically made her anus clench and then pulse with pain. She did as predicted and cried out.

"Will you, sweetheart?" he repeated in a dark, menacing voice. Nami moaned and shook her head no. "See? Now get over here and stuff her face. I don't want to hear any more of her pathetic crying."

Law didn't look pleased as he came over to the bed and climbed on. He pulled his pants back down to his knees again and sat himself in front of Nami. Donquixote's hand fisted in her hair and pulled back, forcing her back to arch and putting her face in line with Law's crotch. As instructed, Law put his flaccid cock in her mouth with one final pleading look at her to try not to dismember him.

He was barely in her mouth before the pounding started. She would have screamed out loud, but since her mouth was occupied, it came out as a moan. It felt as though her ass was being torn apart! All she could feel was a constant pulsing pain that was accompanied by the sound of slapping skin.

"Fuck!" Law hissed, bracing his hands on either side of her as he leaned forwards over her. Donquixote was still controlling her head, pulling her back when he thrust in, and pushing her down on Law when he retreated. Law was apparently receiving the best blow of his life in the meantime. Every time a scream or cry tried to escape Nami's mouth, it reverberated over Law and he shuddered at the sensations.

It didn't take long for Law to blow his load again. Soon he was slipping out of her mouth and leaning to the side, trying to catch his breath. Conversely, Nami's cries were now unhindered, but despite Donquixote saying he didn't want to listen to them, he seem to be invigorated by them. He thrust harder and harder until Nami was sure she'd split in two.

The abruptly, the thrusting stopped. Nami was yanked backwards off of the bed and fell to the floor in heap. She was vaguely aware of liquid falling on her. All she could process was the fact that she wasn't being sodomized anymore for a few moments. When she did regain her senses, she realized that Donquixote was ejaculating onto her rather than in her.

Good. In retrospect, she didn't want any part of that man to remain inside of her.

"Good show," Arlong commented, looking a little less distressed than before. Nami figured that any worry Arlong may have had for her wellbeing stemmed from not wanting to risk an investment being irreparably broken. "I should come watch more often."

Donquixote chuckled. "She definitely doesn't disappoint. I've taken a liking to her."

Nami shuddered at those words.

"How much?"

Terror. Pure terror. Nami stopped breathing as she looked up at Donquixote. He couldn't be asking…

"How much to buy her?" Donquixote asked again. "She's first rate. I wouldn't mind having her in my collection."

Donquixote wanted to buy her from Arlong. Permanently. Lack of oxygen (since she still wasn't breathing) made her dizzy and she dropped her head to the floor. Her vision started to cloud and she figured she was about to pass out. She let the feeling take her.

"How does one hundred million sound?"

Those were the last words she heard before she dropped unconscious.

.o0o.

When she woke up, Nami was lying on her side in bed beneath the sheet. She stared blankly at the wall, noting that the color was close to what she would call and eggshell tone. The walls matched the color of her sheets exactly. She'd never noticed before.

Because she'd never spent two entire minutes looking at the both of them. Going on three minutes now. She refused to move or think of anything other than the color of the sheets. Even when the bed weighed down behind her. Even when a hand rested on her shoulder and pulled her onto her back.

"You alive?"

Unfortunately.

Nami stared dully at the ceiling tiles, beginning her to count them again. She got to seven when she was gently slapped on the cheek.

'No, don't make me come back to reality,' she begged in her mind, squeezing her eyes shut. She just needed a little time. Just a little, to process what had happened and file it away in the Do-Not-Remember box before she could function normally again.

"Say something, it's weird."

Her catatonic bubble burst and she was forced back into reality. Nami looked over at the man sitting over her on the side of her bed. His name was Law, she remembered. He had that indifferent mask on his face again as his thumb pulled at the top one of her eyelids, pulling it back and shining a light into her eye. She grimaced and pulled away, but he just yanked her face back and did the same with the other eye.

"Stop," she managed to croak. He put the light away in his pocket.

"Needless to say, you're in shock," he told her, checking her pulse. "It'll wear off in awhile, but don't get up for a bit. Your blood pressure is still not normal."

Nami doubted she would have any problems complying with his recommendations since the mere motion of being pulled from being on her side to her back had sent turrets of pain throughout her body.

"Not sure at what point you passed out," he admitted, brushing his hand across her forehead and moving her hair off of it, "but the Boss made an offer on you. It was accepted. You're going to be transferred to our possession as soon as the money clears. It'll take about two days."

Nami felt her breath quicken to pants and blackness threatened to invade her vision again.

"No, you gotta take deep breaths," Law commanded, shaking her shoulder. "You'll pass out again."

She wanted to pass out. She wanted to be in a black oblivion. It was her only escape now. Unless…

"Please," she whispered, her eyes closed in attempt to not spill the tears that were slowly filling her eyes.

"Please what?" he asked.

"Please, kill me," she begged. She kept her eyes closed, but she reached an arm out to point at where the nodachi was leaning against the wall. "Please, just kill me."

His hand caught hers and pulled it back, resting it on her chest.

"I can't."

That was a lie. He sure as fuck could kill her with just one swing of that sword. Hell, if the room was too small to unsheathe the sword, he could just strangle her. He had the strength.

"Please—"

"I can't!" he snapped, and she opened her eyes to see his somewhat pained expression. "I can't kill you any more than I can kill myself. We're stuck in the same boat, kid."

She found that very hard to believe.

"You're here because you're trying to protect something, right?" he guessed. How did he know? "Well me too. You die, that thing you want to protect is going to be gone the very next day. And if I slit your throat, the thing I protect will be gone before your blood dries."

She knew he was right. As soon as she stopped breathing, the protection that Nami 'paid' for would disappear for Nojiko and Bell-mère. But in truth, that protection was going to disappear the minute Nami stepped out of Arlong Park and into the possession of Donquixote. There was no hope left anymore, for any of them. Unless…

"Is he here?" Nami asked, glancing at the clock. It was half past two in the morning. How long had she been passed out? Had Law stayed with her the entire time?

"Who?" Law asked, following her glance at the clock.

"My regular," Nami replied. Would Luffy have stayed, even after being told she was 'occupied?' Or would he have gone home for the night?

Law curled his lip in disgust. "There's some kid with a scar on his cheek waiting downstairs for you. That's your regular?"

Nami nodded, gritting her teeth as she rolled over and attempted to get off the bed. Law stopped her mid-roll.

"I told you not to get up," he snapped at her. Ah, there was the asshole. Nami had briefly wondered where he had gone. The somewhat-caring-and-reasonable guy that had been around her for the last few minutes had puzzled her. "You'll start bleeding again."

Bleeding? From where? She brushed her hand across her nose, but it felt dry.

"Your ass," he clarified, seeing her confused look. "You have several tears in your skin."

So she hadn't been imagining those. Remembering it made her feel ill.

"I need to see him," she insisted, pushing away Law's hands and resting her feet on the floor. The pain that shot through her brought her to her knees and made her see stars.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Law asked rhetorically. "Why the fuck do you need to see that little punk so badly?"

Nami didn't answer his question, but reached for her discarded robe, which was still on the floor. She pulled it on, searching for the tie that held it together. When she looked up, Law had it clenched tightly in his fist. She knew he wouldn't give it up without an answer to his second question.

"He can buy me," she told him, reaching for the tie. Law still didn't relinquish it. "He can make a better offer to Arlong."

"More than one hundred million?" Law asked, flatly. Truthfully, there was only about ninety-eight million in that duffel bag, but somehow, they'd get more. "Before Friday?"

That was the crux of the problem. To make up the difference, plus more, in two days? That might not be possible. But Nami had to try. She couldn't give up, not when there was at least a tiny bit of hope.

"Yes, he can," Nami lied, trying to sound confident. Law finally let go of the tie. Nami closed the robe and began dragging herself up off of her knees. Law snorted.

"He does it, and he's gonna make some very bad enemies," Law predicted. Nami glanced at him. "The Boss is not used to not getting his way."

In truth, that thought terrified Nami. Luffy, not only herself and her family, would have to go on the lamb after this. There was going to be no way anymore to coax protection out of anyone. Having no good answer, Nami went back on old habits and lashed out.

"That's none of your fucking business," she told him. Law gave her a fierce look.

"You're right," he agreed. "It's not. And it also won't be any of my fucking business when the Boss catches you. And believe me, he will. If you think a quick death is the worst you're going to face after this stunt, you're wrong. You should just lie down and take what's coming to you. Because when he finds you, it's going to be nastier than your worst nightmares. There are a million things worse than death, and he'll do every single one of them. Not just to you, but to anyone else who's close to you."

After that ominous speech, Law snatched up his nodachi and strode out of her room.

The truth of his words was another painful lash at her. Nami felt herself beginning to break down at the edges when she heard quick footsteps down the hall coming closer. The sound of sandals slapping against bare feet let Nami know it was Luffy on his way to her. Unable to pull herself together no matter how hard she tried, all Nami could do was wipe at the tears forming in her eyes before turning to face him.

"What happened?" he asked, walking in to crowd her space as usual. He reached up and wiped the heel of his hand across her upper cheek. It came back stained black.

Nami spared herself a glance in the mirror. She was a mess. Her hair was half sticking out and half curled, and her face was smeared with dark makeup. There were trails leading down from her eyes to her chin. She must have been crying while Donquixote sodomized her. So much for not crying in front of anyone anymore.

"Never mind that," she dismissed, taking hold of his shoulders. "Luffy, this is very important."

"Oh!" he spoke up, as if something occurred to him. "I couldn't talk to the ugly tonight. He was busy."

Nami had known that already. "I don't care. You don't need to ask him anymore. I need you to do something much more important."

Luffy cocked his head to the side, looking concerned. "What?"

"I only have one day left," she told him. "I need you to get money. I don't care how you do it; beg, borrow or steal. But you have to get ten million berries together by tomorrow and bring it and the duffle bag of money here to buy me. If you don't, someone else is going to buy me, and I'll never see you again."

Luffy was quiet for a few moments.

"I thought you wanted someone to buy you," he finally said. "So you don't have to work here anymore."

"I want _you_ to buy me," Nami corrected. "So we can hang out together forever. Doesn't that sound nice?"

Luffy's eyebrows lowered into a frown. Why was he frowning? Did he not like her suggestion? Would he back out and tell her that she was too much trouble? Dozens of fears floated through Nami's head as he lifted one hand and stroked her upper cheek again. This time, his hand came back wet.

She was crying again.

More than a little, too, since she felt tears drip down from her face onto her chest. She couldn't help it, either, and worst of all, she couldn't stop. Her chest hitched with a sob.

Nami felt herself be crushed against Luffy as he pulled her into a fierce hug. Brokenly, she sobbed into his neck and wrapped her arms around him as well, clinging to him. It took quite awhile for the sobs to quell, and when they did, she still refused to let go.

"Please," she whispered, feeling desperation take her. "Please, Luffy. Help me."

"Yosh."


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Ace

**Chapter Thirteen: Ace**

It was quarter to five in the morning on Thursday when Ace spied Luffy trying to stealthily hop the fence for their yard in order to sneak in the back door. Admittedly, after three weeks, he'd gotten better at it. He wasn't all bumps and whispered curses as he fumbled up the stairs and down the pitch black hallway to his room anymore. But that didn't mean that Ace didn't know Luffy was still doing it.

The first night he'd done it, Luffy had acted suspiciously the entire day. Luffy had been commandeered to participate in a block by block search for Nojiko's little sister Nami along with himself and those other idiots Luffy hung out with. Luffy had sulked about it; complaining that he should at least be allowed to search with someone (he mentioned Zoro by name and listed occasions when the boy had gotten lost in his own school) so he had someone to talk to.

The old man had denied that, saying that more ground could be covered if they went out individually, but Ace had wondered if Luffy should have been sent out with someone. He had a tendency to lose his train of thought and become easily distracted. Case and point, Ace had seen Luffy running down the street as fast as he could that same afternoon chasing after a bread truck when he was supposed to be on the other side of town looking for Nami.

Ace really thought that Luffy would be more concerned about the fate of the friend he had gone to dinner with, and incidentally, had talked non-fucking-stop about for several weeks. But no. Not only had he ditched out on searching for her, Luffy had not responded to any of the texts or calls Ace had made for the rest of the afternoon and then suddenly showed up for dinner, asking for money.

A lot of money.

Two hundred thousand berries to be exact. The old man said no instantly, telling Luffy he needed to earn money and not just expect it, and then droned on for like twenty minutes about how youth today had no idea what it was like to have to earn the things they wanted. Ace had ignored the speech, having heard something of the like several times before. Luffy had looked positively crushed at the denial.

Curiosity had burned a hole in Ace's stomach, though, wondering what Luffy could possibly want to use that sum of money for, and he had followed the boy to his room after dinner. There, he watched in amazement, as Luffy scoured his entire room for berries. In the end, he had only managed to scrounge up about a hundred and twenty thousand berries.

"It's not enough," Luffy muttered, frowning at the money in his hand.

"Not enough for what?" Ace prompted. Luffy gave him a miserable look.

"I want to hang out with my friend tonight," Luffy replied. "I don't have enough money to do it."

Ace frowned. Five thousand berries to go hang out at the arcade, Ace understood. But what could he possibly need two hundred thousand for? "Your friend?"

"Yeah," Luffy nodded. "I want to see her, but I can't unless I pay two hundred thousand."

Her? The whole thing rankled of something odd. It almost sounded like Luffy was going to pay for a stripper.

"Where is this friend?" Ace asked.

"Downtown," Luffy answered. Ace racked his brain. There was nothing downtown except for some office buildings, a couple of over-priced restaurants, and…a strip club.

"Is your 'friend' at a club?" Ace prodded further. Luffy thought it over for a moment before shrugging.

"I guess," he told him. "There was lots of guys there, and this big ugly guy said I couldn't come in unless I had money."

Ace let his face fall into his hand as he shook his head in dismay. "Luffy, is your friend a stripper?"

"Stripper?" Luffy repeated, puzzled. "No, she's a messenger."

"A messenger?" Ace asked.

"She takes messages around for work," Luffy explained. "I asked her once."

Taking messages around…Ace tried to translate what Luffy was telling him. Damn, how he wished Sabo was here. Sabo had always been great at understanding Luffy when Ace couldn't. But Sabo wasn't answering any of his texts or calls, so Ace assumed that the blonde had probably gotten a new phone again. Either that, or had finally found himself a girlfriend.

Racking his brain, Ace tried to come up with a reason someone would take a message back and forth in a strip club. And then it hit him: she was a waitress. She would take orders (messages) from men and take them to the bartender.

Well, at least Luffy wasn't trying to 'hang out' with a stripper. Still, why was this club even considering letting a fifteen-year-old into it? If anyone busted Luffy there, the club would see some serious fines. That must be what the two hundred thousand was for.

"Luffy, is this person your girlfriend?" Ace asked outright. It was the only explanation Ace could come up with to explain why Luffy was so distracted by this other girl to forget about his friend Nami.

Luffy shrugged again. "Yeah. She's my girlfriend."

Despite himself, Ace grinned lewdly. So his little bro had his first girlfriend, eh? This was big news. Luffy was growing up. Ace had thought he'd have a couple more years before he'd have to explain the mechanics of sex to his younger brother. Now he absolutely _had_ to get a hold of Sabo. They would also have to video the explanation, because Ace was sure Luffy was going to say some hilarious shit and made some really goofy faces. They would be able to laugh at it for years to come.

"Here you go, Luffy," Ace offered, trying to hold back a laugh. He'd dug into his wallet and pulled out the remaining eighty thousand berries and handed it to his brother. "Go have fun with your girlfriend. But this is a one-time deal. You can't go see her all the time if it's gonna cost you this much every time. Plus, you don't want to be a bother to her at work."

"Okay," Luffy quickly agreed. "Thanks, Ace!"

And like that, the boy had bounded down the stairs and out the door, not coming home until close to dawn.

A couple of times in the last few weeks, Ace had tried following Luffy to catch a glimpse of this girlfriend of his. But all through summer break, Luffy had slept in past noon and spent his afternoons in the company of his three friends. Not once did Luffy ask for money again, but neither did a girl ever show up to spend time with the guys. Ace had tried following his brother downtown, but the boy always became distracted by something, whether it be a restaurant or an arcade or even a stray dog, and Ace would lose sight of him. A couple times, Ace had even tried hanging out in front of the strip club to intercept his brother, but Luffy never showed. Yet every day, between four-thirty and five in the morning, Luffy returned home and went straight to bed.

But today, Ace was determined. He was going to follow his brother around the whole day and see this girlfriend for himself, or at least, find out what was keeping Luffy out until half past four in the morning.

.o0o.

Ace expected Luffy to stay in bed past noon, as per usual. He had plans to spend the morning, while waiting for his brother to wake up, helping Nojiko put up flyers with her sister's face on them across the city. Again. The flyers seemed to disappear from the message boards and telephone poles as fast as they were hung. It was more than a little suspicious.

The orange-haired girl that was Nojiko's adopted sister had gone missing after a burglary turned homicide at a restaurant. At least, that's what the police were officially calling it. No one, including his damnable little brother, was opening their mouths about what really went down at that restaurant, but Ace knew something more than a burglary had gone down.

It had taken almost four weeks to be able to convince the old man that Noji's sister Nami needed to be reported missing. The old man had thought it more likely that she had just run away. But statements taken from witnesses that had been around the restaurant during the incident indicated that not long after the first shot was fired, a young woman appeared to be forced into a car by four men.

"Thanks for doing this with me," Nojiko spoke up as they walked towards downtown. It had the most foot traffic, therefore was the best place to put up the fliers, but they always disappeared the fastest, too.

"No problem," Ace told her. "I don't like to sleep all day like my brother. This gives me something to do until he wakes up and I stalk his ass around town. I'm going to meet his girlfriend tonight; I'm bound and determined."

"Still. You're really too nice," Nojiko praised with a half smile. "Helping me paper the entire city in exchange for a few tutoring lessons."

Ace gave her a brilliant smile and threw his arm around her shoulder. "Hey, thanks to you, I probably won't have to repeat year my last year of school. That's pretty fucking important to me. And this is important to you."

Nojiko leaned her head against his shoulder briefly. "It _is_ important to me. And you seem to be the only one willing to do it."

She took on a sour look and Ace knew she was thinking of Luffy or the old man, and their lack of effort to do anything concerning her sister.

"Not true," he contradicted, trying to lighten the atmosphere. "I bet that guy Smoker has not worked half as hard under my old man as he has under your mom's command."

It worked; Nojiko smiled. He liked her better that way.

Oh, who the hell was he kidding? He'd like her if she were cross-eyed and drooling. Hell, he'd really like her pushed up against that wall over there, her legs wrapped around his hips, her hands pinned above her head as he stuck his tongue down her—

Focus, Ace. Focus.

"He really does bend over backwards for her," Nojiko admitted, breaking the hold he had on her shoulder to go hang a flyer. Ace hated letting go, but it wasn't a bad view to watch her walk away from him.

"I know, right?" Ace chuckled, trying not to be caught staring. "Those two are meant for each other. I don't know why they don't see it. You can practically cut the sexual tension between them with a knife."

Nojiko laughed. Like, really laughed. He hadn't seen that in almost four weeks. It made his chest feel warm.

Aw, shit. He was catching _feelings_. Son of a bitch!

"I don't know," Nojiko admitted as she returned to his side and they continued on. "I don't think Bell-mère's even knows that she loves him. She probably knows that she cares for him, maybe, but not to the extent that he does. I think poor Smoker is a man who might spend the rest of his days regretting not doing something about it."

Shitty, mother fucking _feelings_! Ace absently rubbed at his chest before catching himself. He sure as hell knew what Smoker was probably going through. Forever friend-zoned by the person who would be perfect for him. Sounded pretty damn sad.

'No way in hell I'm gonna end up like that,' Ace vowed to himself. 'Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained.'

He put his arm around her shoulders again and angled her body towards his. He had half a second to take in her confused look before he kissed her. It wasn't the balls-out, tongue down her throat showcase he'd been fantasizing about, but rather a short, two-second test-the-waters deal. She looked stunned when he pulled away.

"Just so there are no misunderstandings in the future," Ace clarified, resuming walking and pulling her along by the hand. "I don't want to ever regret anything, especially not kissing a pretty girl."

It was silent for a long time as they continued on, occasionally stopping to post more flyers. Though Nojiko would no longer look him in the eye anymore, there was a really sexy pink tinge to her tanned cheeks that made him hold out hope that he hadn't completely ruined their relationship with each other. At least, she didn't mind his holding her hand.

They finished posting flyers by noon, and Ace expected to make it back to his house before Luffy had rolled out of bed. Much to his surprise, Luffy's bed was empty. Ace had cursed himself vehemently for already losing track of Luffy before heading out to check the usual places for his little brother.

He struck out all around. First, he checked with Ussop. The boy with the long nose (which was finally out of its splint and bandages) had said he'd only seen Luffy briefly around mid-morning when he had come by asking to borrow money. He got the same story from Zoro when he tracked him down at the dojo, except that Luffy had seen him close to noon.

Finally, at the Baratie, which had reopened now that the repairs had been made, Ace heard from Sanji that Luffy had come by and extorted a meal out of them along with all the berries they could give him, saying it was an emergency.

"An emergency?" Ace repeated. Sanji nodded, lighting a cigarette as he stood outside the restaurant on a break.

"Wouldn't say what for, but he looked desperate," Sanji told him.

"So you just gave him money, no questions asked?" Ace surmised.

"Like we could say no," Sanji scoffed. "We'd probably be six feet under right now if it weren't for that air-head."

"Oh?" Ace prompted. He knew there was more to what went down at the restaurant! "What did my brother do that you think you owe him your lives?"

Sanji looked panicked for a second, trying to cover it with a long drag on his cigarette.

"Sanji! Get in here, you lazy, ungrateful piece of shit!"

"Eat shit, old man!" Sanji barked back through the door of the restaurant, tossing his cigarette to the ground and stomping on it. He gave Ace a sheepish look. "My old man's not quite back to a hundred percent yet. Excuse me."

Damn it. Ace was getting nowhere. Annoyed, he returned home, hoping Luffy would end up back there at some point. He had to wait until nearly seven o'clock to see his brother. And that's all he did: see. Because Luffy didn't even venture two words until he had food in him. And then, it was some ridiculous ramblings about needing more money.

"What do you need money for this time?" Ace asked, watching his brother root through his wallet to count how much he had.

"For my friend," Luffy answered grumpily. He had cuts and forming bruises on his face and arms. Had he been fighting?

"Your girlfriend?" Ace guessed, wondering if the girlfriend was making demands for money.

"Yes!" Luffy snapped. "It's important!"

The kid was agitated. That was unusual for Luffy. He was generally a mild tempered kid unless someone went after someone he cared about.

"Is she in some trouble?" Ace prodded. Luffy hesitated. It seemed like he didn't know how to answer the question.

"She asked for my help," is what he finally settled on.

Ace gave Luffy a hard look. Did he dare tell the kid that his girlfriend was probably just into him to see how much money she could get from him? But then again, Luffy hadn't asked for money in three weeks. Maybe it was a coincidence.

"How much do you need?" he asked.

"Ten million berries," Luffy stated, looking distressed. Ace could understand why.

"Ten million?" Ace repeated, half shouting. "The fuck? That's not a small amount of money, Luffy."

"I know!" Luffy groused back. "And Gramps probably won't give it to me, even if I begged."

Hell no he wouldn't!

"I don't have anyone else to borrow it from," Luffy muttered. "I guess I'll have to steal it."

Ace was dumbstruck. What had his brother just said?

"You'll what?" he demanded.

"She said, 'beg, borrow, or steal,'" Luffy reiterated. "I can't beg or borrow anymore, so I'll have to steal."

Ace's hand made a solid connection with the back of Luffy's head.

"The hell are you thinking?" Ace ranted at him. "Your grandfather is a cop! A pretty fucking important one, at that, and you say you're going to just steal some money for your bimbo girlfriend?"

Ace didn't know what he had expected in terms of an answer from Luffy, but it sure as hell wasn't a fist to the face. For the first time in probably a good four or five years, Luffy and Ace had an all-out fist fight. In the kitchen, no less.

Four or five years had been good to Luffy, too. Ace was close to getting his ass handed to him by his three-years-younger brother. They both had gotten a few good hits in, and were starting to huff a little bit.

"You shut up!" Luffy growled at him. "You don't know anything! And if you're not gonna help, then leave me alone! I don't need your help anyway!"

That hurt his pride, a little. Luffy had always had big, admiring eyes for his older brothers. To be told he was no longer needed was sort of painful. Ace had jokingly thought that his little brother was growing up when he got a girlfriend, but this was more…physical. Ace looked at his younger brother again with new eyes and saw that he wasn't a boy or kid anymore. Luffy was practically a man.

It stung.

"Fine, whatever," Ace dismissed, lashing out against the internal pain. If he was a man now, he could deal with things like a man, including being swindled by his gold digger girlfriend. "Don't come begging me to dig you out of a mess, though."

Luffy stormed out of the room without another word, stomping up the stairs as Ace slumped disgruntledly into a chair at the table. Ace listened in irritation as Luffy's feet carried him not to his room, but to his grandfather's.

The hell?

Ace was back on his feet and taking the stairs two at a time as he made his way to the old man's room. He made it to the top of the stairs in time to watch Luffy exit the room with a fat wad of cash in each hand: the old man's secret stash. There were probably a good five million berries in the stash that the old man kept for emergencies. Luffy had just taken it without batting an eye.

Following Luffy to his room, he watched him pull a cram packed duffle bag out of the recesses of his closet. When he unzipped it, Ace saw that it was stuffed with money. More now, since Luffy was stuffing what he'd borrowed and stolen into it.

Warning bells went off in Ace's head like a vengeance. That was no small amount of cash. Where the hell had Luffy gotten it? And why did someone need that much money, anyway? Something was wrong. Very wrong. He had a bad feeling about this.

"Luffy, you need to tell me what's going on," Ace insisted, watching him zip the bag closed and hoist it onto his shoulder.

"I'm busy," Luffy dismissed, shoving past Ace in the doorway.

"Luffy, I can't help you if I don't know what's going on," Ace tried again. Luffy hesitated at the top of the stairs.

"She said I couldn't tell anyone," Luffy quietly admitted. The bad feeling only grew at that explanation. "She said that it's secret, like Gramps' work."

And then without another word, Luffy descended the stairs. Ace stood dumbstruck for a moment before heading downstairs himself. Oddly, Luffy seemed to be waiting for him at the bottom. But rather than say anything else, he just walked out the front door.

Ace trailed behind, puzzled. Luffy wouldn't tell him what was going on, but he was very obviously not making any attempt to hide where he was going. Ace took it as a sign that he should follow.

.o0o.

Ace stared up at the tall, unmarked building that was two blocks from the strip club Ace would have bet his life on that Luffy would enter. Instead, it was this building. Ace followed only a few steps behind as Luffy went straight to the reception desk and dropped the duffle bag on the floor.

"I need to see the ugly," he proclaimed, earning incredulous looks by the two men who manned it. "I want to buy her."

"You know the rules," said one of the men. "It's two hundred thousand for the night. You don't need to see the boss for that."

Ace stared down the two men at the desk. They were not rough looking per se, but they did not scream professional receptionists either. These men were more like the bouncers Ace had pictured when he'd first thought Luffy was going to a strip club.

"No, I mean forever," Luffy corrected. The men shared an amused look.

"Kid, there's no way you have the money to—"

Luffy lifted the duffle bag onto the desk and unzipped it, giving both men a glimpse of the money inside. The story changed right away. One was on the phone in seconds while the other began escorting Luffy towards the main elevator. The escort gave Ace a wary look as he followed.

"Who's that?" he inquired.

Luffy glanced briefly back at Ace. "He's with me."

That was all the explanation that was needed, apparently. Ace joined the two on the elevator for a painfully silent ride up to what was the sixteenth floor of the building. When the doors of the elevator opened, Ace felt a heavy atmosphere descend onto him.

Luffy didn't hesitate. He headed past the grizzly, hardened men that glared at him towards the large ornate desk that was obviously the head of the room. A dangerous looking man sat behind it, looking amused.

"I hear you've come to make an offer on my little Mikan," the man spoke up. "You caused quite the flurry down stairs."

Luffy dumped the bag onto the man's desk unceremoniously.

"I'm buying her. For forever," Luffy declared as Ace make it to Luffy's side. The man cackled.

"She tempts you that much, eh?" he mused. "Buying her nights every night isn't enough now?"

"I want to be her boss now," Luffy stated. Again, the man was amused.

"Oh, I bet you do," he agreed. "Why don't you go ahead and head on upstairs while I have my men count this. We'll see if your offer is valid."

Luffy shrugged and headed towards the elevator again. Ace followed, tense as a bow string. Things were much different than he'd ever imagined. What Luffy had misinterpreted (misrepresented was more like it) as a club was actually an organized crime syndicate. All these men had brass knuckles and guns on their person and he and Luffy had walked in armed with only shorts and tee-shirts.

They boarded the elevator again and were escorted up one floor. Exiting the elevator, Ace's eyes immediately fixed on a large sign that was posted on the wall in front of them. Luffy walked past it without a glance.

THE RULES:  
HOURS: 2PM – 4AM DAILY  
ALL SERVICES PAID FOR IN ADVANCE  
NO GAGGING*  
NO BEATING*  
NO CHOKING*  
NO URINATION/DEFECATION*  
NO PHYSICAL MARKING WHATSOEVER  
CONDOMS MUST BE WORN FOR ALL ACTS EXCEPT FELLATIO  
*May be added to experience at extra cost, given special permission

Ace's mind swam. They were in a whore house. Ace stared at his brother's back as he walked down the hall. He'd been going to a whore house every night? This was worse than thinking he'd been going to a strip club!

Taking a few quick steps, Ace caught up to Luffy, but still walking a few steps behind. They passed several unmarked doors; some open and some closed. In the ones that were open, Ace spied a variety of women who were in various states of dress. A couple winked or waved as he passed by, but Luffy paid them no mind.

"Luffy, what do you do here every night?" Ace asked, afraid of the answer he'd get. He wasn't sure he would be able to handle it if his little brother started reciting sex tales that put his own sex life to shame.

"Hang out," Luffy answered without hesitation.

"Hang out?" Ace repeated. He needed clarification, hoping it wouldn't be 'hang out with my cock out.'

"Yeah, hang out," Luffy affirmed. "Watch movies. Play video games. Thumb wrestle. You know, stuff you do when you hang out."

Ace was a little relieved, but even more confused as they continued down the long hallway. Without warning, Luffy ducked into one of the unmarked rooms near the end of the hall, calling out an easy greeting. Ace approached the door slowly, deliberately eavesdropping.

"Luffy! You're here! Did you get the money?" a woman's voice asked.

"Not all of it," Luffy admitted. "But I got a lot. The ugly is downstairs counting it."

"And he sent you up here to wait?" the woman guessed. She sounded agitated.

"Yep," Luffy answered. "What do you want to do while we wait?"

"I—I don't know," the woman confessed, as if she were flustered. "I just keep wondering if it's going to be enough. And I worry because I dragged you into this."

"You asked for help," Luffy pointed out. "I wanted to help."

"Yes, but you have no idea what you're getting into," she dismissed. "This is some really bad stuff, Luffy. If by chance my boss says yes, we're going to have to run away."

What? First this bitch has his brother shelling out ridiculous sums of money just to see her and now she wants them to run away? This was too much. Ace took the final steps towards the room, ready to put an end to this farce.

"Run away?" Luffy repeated. "Where?"

"I don't know," the woman admitted. "But we'll have to go. Tonight, if he lets me go with you. We'll have to stop and pick up my mom and sister—"

The woman stopped speaking. Ace stared at her as openly as she stared back. No, it couldn't be…

"Oh, yeah," Luffy spoke up, breaking the shocked silence. "This is my brother, Ace. He wants to help, too."

It was Nami. Clear as day. She looked exactly the same as her picture in the fliers he'd been hanging for a month except maybe she was a tiny bit thinner. And panicked.

"Luffy, what did you do!" she cried, grabbing his brother's shoulders and shaking them. "I told you, you couldn't tell anyone I was here! It was secret!"

"I didn't tell him," Luffy clarified, though chagrined. "He followed me."

"This is bad! Very, very bad!" she declared, not appearing mollified in the slightest by the clarification. She looked to be on the verge of tears as she dropped her grip on Luffy and began to pace back and forth in the small room.

This was why Luffy wasn't looking for Nami at all, Ace realized. Why he'd been so flippant about her disappearance. Luffy had found her awhile ago (probably three weeks ago, if he had to take a guess at it) and had been coming to see her every night. And for whatever reason, Nami had sworn him to secrecy about it.

Ace supposed the old man was right; she had run away after all. But to become a prostitute? Ace needed some answers.

"You need to tell me exactly what's going right now," Ace demanded, grabbing her pacing form and stilling her in front of him. "Everything. How the hell did this happen?"

He gestured inauspiciously to herself and the room. Nami took on a defiant look.

"It's none of your—" she started.

"Don't you dare say it's none of my business," Ace interrupted fiercely. "I have spent the last three and a half weeks combing this fucking city and papering it with your sister. It's become my business. Start talking."

Nami remained silent for a long time and Ace began to think she was never going to answer him. But then she looked guiltily over at Luffy.

"I didn't lie," she told him, but her guilt said otherwise. "When I joined, I was just a Messenger. I held that position for six years."

Luffy didn't look like he was bothered by the statement. He seemed as perplexed as Ace at her shame on the matter.

"But I was promoted," she went on. "And like I told you before, I can't quit. So I had to become a Mermaid."

She looked up at Ace expectantly.

"Do you know what a Mermaid is?" she asked.

"I figured it out along the way," Ace answered snappily. Holy fuck. Mermaids belonged to Fishman Village, the largest yakuza in all of East Blue. He and his brother were standing in the middle of Arlong-fucking-Park. The secret base of operations that the old man had been looking for—very unsuccessfully—for probably five or six years. And his brother had just stumbled upon it. "Why in the hell would you join them?"

"My mother," she answered. "And my sister. They're safe because I'm here."

Ace took a guess that Nami had bartered away herself for protection for her family. But was there really that much danger to Nojiko's family that required Nami to make a deal with the yakuza? Nami apparently seemed to think so.

"Fine. You made a deal with the yakuza," Ace summed up, tasting bile in his throat. "But then, what's all the money for? Why are you making my brother steal for you?"

Nami looked pained at the accusation. She didn't deny it, though, he noticed.

"Things changed," she hesitantly explained. "A bid to permanently buy me was put in by someone and accepted. I didn't know what else to do. If I leave Arlong Park, the protection I 'pay' for disappears. I needed Luffy to outbid my buyer so we could get my mother and sister and get out of here."

Actually, it was a solid plan, if Ace had to admit it. But that was only if it worked, and Nami didn't seem too confident about that.

"How much were you sold for?" Ace asked. There was a shit-ton of money in that duffle bag. Surely not more than what was in there.

"One hundred million."

Ace's eyes threatened to bulge out of his head. How much?

"There was around ninety-eight million in the bag before I asked Luffy to—to add to it," Nami stammered. "I think for Arlong to even consider it, he would have had to come up with at least ten million more."

Ace's jaw dropped. She'd asked Luffy to come up with ten million berries in a day?

"I didn't get that much," Luffy admitted glumly. "I think I got around six."

The defeat in Nami's eyes was clear. Somehow, though, she managed to smile.

"It's okay, Luffy," she assured him. "You did the best you could. It just—it just means you won't get to be my boss."

Still, Luffy looked upset at the prospect. "Can I still come see you?"

Nami shook her head. "No, you can't. But I have one last request, if you'll listen to it."

Luffy's attention was rapt on her.

"When my boss tells you no," she spoke, "ask to buy the protection of my family instead."

Luffy made a sour face. "What for?"

"Please?" Nami requested, ignoring his question. "You said you would help me. This is the help that I need."

Luffy sighed heavily. He was clearly displeased with the whole situation. "Fine."

And to prove just how upset he was, Luffy crossed his arms and took on a petulant look. Despite that, Nami tugged at his arms until he loosened them and embraced him. Though he still held a sour look, Luffy didn't hesitate to hug her back.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"What a sorry sight."

All of them jumped at the voice that spoke up. Ace turned to see the dangerous looking man from earlier; the one Luffy had insisted on dealing with directly. This, Ace realized, had to be the infamous crime boss, Arlong.

"I come up here hoping to see a show as titillating as the sight from last night, and I find everyone standing around, still fully clothed," Arlong complained with a disapproving look. Nami paled at his statement as she untangled herself from Luffy.

"I was just explaining to my regular that tonight was the last night," Nami told him. Ace realized that she was very adept at manipulating situations. She hadn't lied, but had omitted enough truth that the situation turned to her favor.

"Indeed it is," Arlong agreed. "Though, not without an attempt at otherwise. Your regular put in a bid for you."

Nami gave Luffy a look of wonder. She was very good at acting, too, Ace admitted to himself.

"Sadly, only a hundred and four million is not enough to buy you out from under someone like..." Arlong trailed off. "Well, let's just say, if I sold you from under that man, it better be for ten times the sum he's paying me. I'd need that much to keep him from flaying me."

Ten times a hundred million? A billion? Really? Ace cast a glance at Nami and saw her surprise too. For some reason, he didn't think she was acting in that moment. She blinked and then looked meaningfully at Luffy. He stared blankly back. Damn it, he'd forgotten already.

"The money," Ace spoke up. Arlong looked at Ace, giving him a measuring glance.

"Yes, yes," Arlong dismissed with a wave. "Aside from tonight's fees, the money will be ready for you when you leave."

"We'd like to buy something else," Ace contradicted.

"Oh? Has one of my other Mermaids caught your eye?" Arlong guessed with a smug look.

"No, we want to buy protection," Ace clarified. Arlong took on a suspicious look.

"Protection," he repeated. Ace nodded.

"For two women in the Conomi district," Ace explained. "A woman named Belle and her daughter, Nojiko."

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," Arlong grumbled, his eyes narrowing. "When the boy started coming here, he asked for Mikan by her real name. So you want to take over the cost of keeping those two alive?"

Ace nodded.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to make a choice, then," Arlong shrugged. "You only brought me enough money to buy one woman. Not two."

All the acting in the world couldn't stop Nami's face from taking on a horrified look. He knew she'd never be able to make the hard decision between her sister and her mother herself, so Ace made it for her.

"Nojiko," he said without hesitation. Yeah, part of the decision was based on selfish feelings, but Ace also knew that Belle would have Smoker and his resources on her side to help protect her, whereas Nojiko had no one but him.

"Done," Arlong agreed, smiling smugly. Ace could imagine it stemmed from getting such an absurd amount of money without having to actually do anything except not kill one person. "Now that business is done, how about that show?"

What? What did he just say? Ace felt his stomach sink as he realized what Arlong expected them to do next.


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Ace

**A/N:** Graphic content ahead.

* * *

 **Chapter Fourteen: Ace**

Ace stared with what was probably a look of horror on his face at the yakuza boss. He wasn't serious, was he? He didn't intend to watch them, did he? A glimpse at Nami showed that she had come to the same conclusion.

"Come now," Arlong cooed dangerously, stepping a bit farther into the room. "You don't want to leave your best _customer_ disappointed on his last night with you, do you? Not when he brought along a friend to share you with."

The jig was up, apparently. Arlong at least suspected, if not flat out knew, that Nami hadn't been performing her 'duties' with Luffy. Now, he seemed fixed on observing said duties himself.

Nami looked up at Luffy with a defeated look on her face. She leaned close to him and whispered something into his ear. Luffy, though looking unsure, nodded in agreement and hopped up onto the bed, kicking off his sandals.

Nami turned to Ace, giving him an apologetic look before dropping to her knees and reaching up to undo his belt buckle. His shorts and boxers were tugged to his knees. Holy shit. This was really happening. Ace felt like he was witnessing a horrible accident occur. He could only watch, transfixed, as things spiraled out of control headed for disaster, but could do nothing to prevent it.

Ace was locked in a contradiction of feelings. He was receiving one of the best blows of his life, which racked him with pleasure, but conversely, he was in complete misery since the person he wanted to do this for him was the sister of the girl on her knees. Though he'd said earlier he planned to never hold a regret in his life, Ace knew that he regretted nothing more than following Luffy today.

It also upset him how good Nami was at it. His mind tortured him with wonderings of how often she'd been made to do it to acquire such obvious skill. What other things had she been forced to do to keep her family safe? Have sex, yes, that was obvious. But his mind ranged back to the rules list. There had been many things on that list that could be added for a price that made Ace sick to his stomach. How many had she been subjected to?

He decided he didn't want to know, and hoped that he never found out.

Despite his horror at the situation, Ace could not stop himself from becoming aroused and eventually hitting his orgasm. Even with his wayward thoughts, Ace had tried to keep an indifferent look on his face, knowing that the crime boss was watching him very closely. He didn't want to give any ammunition to that man, but Ace couldn't help the choked groan that escaped him as he came.

He looked down at her through an orgasmic haze as she held him in the recesses of her throat. She was looking away, ashamed. Surely it wasn't because of him? As he'd admitted earlier, he knew exactly what a Mermaid was. Besides, they had just met today. It's not like he had any preconceived notion of her that he was judging her by. And even if he did judge, her reasons behind her actions made up for any harsh judgments he would make.

No, the shame wasn't for him. Ace understood as she let his softening penis drop from her mouth and she looked behind her at the bed, the shame was for his brother.

Luffy was watching them. Ace realized that he probably had been the entire time. He took in the look on his brother's face. There was a little confusion, of course, and Ace had expected that. Also a little bit of lust. Even Luffy could be affected, it seemed. Ace was slightly mollified to know that his previously asexual little brother was showing signs of having hormones.

What Ace hadn't expected to see was anger. There was a lot of it too. It was the dominating feature on his face.

Well, maybe anger wasn't the right word after all. As Nami stood up and approached the bed, Luffy's ire died down a bit. Ace realized that his little brother was jealous. Lust replaced the jealously almost instantly as Nami climbed onto the bed with him and put her hands on the hem of his shirt, slowly sliding it up.

As Ace had been before when receiving his blow job, Luffy became oblivious to the world as Nami stripped him. He had eyes only for her, staring at her as she threw the tee shirt to the side and sidled up close. In a gesture that seemed way too intimate for their surroundings, Nami put her hands on his face and kissed him. After a few seconds, Luffy reached up and pulled her hands from his face and locked his grip on them at their sides. He broke their kiss and gave her a very solemn look.

He was telling her to stop, Ace knew. Luffy knew something wasn't right about the whole situation and he wanted her to stop. But Ace knew just as well as Nami did that she couldn't. Luffy didn't understand that part yet. Nami leaned forward and kissed him again while pulling at her restrained hands. Ace watched as Luffy flinched in resignation and he let go of her hands.

Nami pulled at the tie on her robe, letting the satin loosen and fall to the bed. She put Luffy's hands in between the folds of the material and let go, intending for him to remove it for her. It took him a minute to get that far. He'd become distracted by the kissing and didn't understand that's what she wanted at first. He finally pushed it off of her without much thought, too enamored with the act of kissing.

Ace blanched. From where he stood, he had a very good view of an angry, dark reddish purple bruise on her butt. It looked new, and very, very painful. Despite his wishes, he now knew that she had at least been subject to some sort of beating or marking before.

"I thought marking was against the rules," Ace muttered. He hadn't meant to be heard, but he was. In his peripheral vision, he saw Arlong shrug.

"Was done by the man who bought her," he told him. "Now that she's his property, it's not my concern if he leaves marks."

Ace tasted bile again. He realized part of why Nami had been so desperate for an escape. The man she was now resigned to was abusive. Very abusive, by the looks of it. Ace vowed to himself that he wouldn't let Nami go to that man. Somehow, someway, he and his brother had to get Nami out of here. Tonight.

"Why don't you join in," Arlong suggested, and Ace was reminded why taking Nami with them might be impossible. The crime boss was not someone to be trifled with. The look on the man's face as he handed Ace a condom was one that was not to be denied. "She's taken two at once before."

It was like the man was deliberately trying to make Ace vomit in horror. He didn't want to think of the things Nami had been subjected to but at every turn, he learned something new. Ace eyed the two on the bed doubtfully. It seemed a bad idea to interrupt them, since they were stuck in their own bubble of obliviousness to the outside world. But as if to deny that thought, Arlong gave Ace's back a hard smack, forcing him to step towards the bed.

Nami had coaxed Luffy onto his back, and though he looked a little upset at not being able to kiss her anymore, he didn't complain as she unbuckled his belt and unzipped his shorts. Nami's lower half was off the bed as she bent over Luffy, and Ace saw contusions around her anus. He couldn't help it; he cringed. So that's what Arlong meant by two at once.

Against his better judgment, moral code—hell, this went against everything—Ace unwrapped the condom and slipped it on. He doubted that Nami was as oblivious as Luffy was at that moment, and that she'd heard everything that had been said. For no reason he could fathom, he watched her cross her legs.

"You're in for a treat," Arlong chuckled. Ace tried to tune the monster out.

Nami didn't even flinch when Ace stepped up behind her and placed a hand on her hip. She was focused on the task at hand, which happened to be giving Luffy what was probably his first blow job. With a mental apology for having to do this to her, Ace pushed in.

Fuck, was it tight! Was this what the monster had meant by a treat? Ace took a deep breath in and out. He didn't want to be aroused by this, but he was. And he wouldn't last long, either. Steeling himself, Ace began a measured pace.

The worst part was that there was nowhere for him to look. If he looked down, he saw the contusions and angry red mark on her ass. If he looked at the back of her head, he would have to watch her head bob up and down on his little brother. Looking at Luffy was out of the question. So Ace did the only thing he could and stared at the ceiling.

It didn't surprise him that it didn't take long for Luffy to hit his orgasm. Ace had been on the receiving end of that particular skill set not too long ago himself. But Luffy, being inexperienced, didn't react the way Ace thought he would. When Ace had received his first blow, he'd damn near choked the girl when he'd cum because he had grabbed the back of the girl's head and forced her to deepthroat him. Luffy did the opposite. He tried to push Nami away by the shoulders but she grabbed his hands and held them tightly in hers. Luffy came in a broken moan and a shudder.

Ace didn't believe that Luffy had never jacked off before. Hell, what boy hadn't 'found' himself by the age of three? Jacking off was just something that every guy did, regardless of whether they were sexually active or not. But by the looks of it, Luffy had not experienced anything to that degree before. He was lost, staring at the ceiling and heaving breaths in and out, apparently stunned.

Ace was stunned himself only a few seconds later. He'd gotten a little used to the tightness that Nami had, but was completely unprepared for her muscles to clench down on him. He managed to mostly muffle a groan, but when her muscles didn't let go and he was forced to drag himself from within her, he leaned forward and rested his head on her shoulder. It was too much. Pushing back in, he felt himself starting to unravel. Two thrusts later, he was done for and succumbing to his second orgasm in a half an hour.

A little light headed, Ace stood properly and eased himself out of Nami. He felt like he had the legs of a newborn giraffe and half wobbled back a few steps to lean against the wall, removing the condom and tying it off. He watched Nami stand up properly and go over to the dresser, opening one of the top drawers. She pulled out another condom, ripping the foil and oddly, putting the condom in her mouth.

In perverse curiosity, he watched her lean over Luffy again and take him in her mouth. She made one long, slow bob before retreating and climbing onto the bed. Ace could see that she'd used her oral skills to put the condom on him. Ugh, damn it, he didn't want to be aroused by this!

Luffy was up on his elbows now. Nami scooted over him until she sat in his lap, pulling him up until he had to sit up completely. She kissed him again. Luffy didn't seem at all put off or disgusted that he'd just blown his load there a mere five minutes ago and resumed kissing her with gusto.

Again, it was like the two of them were in their own little world. Ace felt like he was intruding by watching. Despite being forced into this, it seemed like the moment was private for them. Like he was spying on them.

A disgruntled sigh from the doorway reminded Ace of why they were stuck in this situation. Nami too, it seemed. She rose up on her knees and reached between them, grabbing hold of Luffy and positioning him before sinking down on him. Luffy gave a long groan.

He didn't seem to know where to put his hands. At first, he'd just wrapped his arms around her and held her against him, but as she began to move, he had to relent his grip. The first place they landed was her hips. It seemed to Ace that he was trying to still her again, but he didn't get far with that. Nami grabbed one of his hands and put on her breast. It held his attention for awhile, but soon he was trying to grip her hips again.

Ace watched as Luffy, in an unexpected display of dominance, grabbed hold of Nami firm enough to lift her up off of him and get up onto his own knees. He was the one to push her back this time and he lay over her, repositioning and pushing in again. It seemed his unsettled movements were just him fighting with wanting to be in control. Who knew his brother had a commanding nature?

"Never pegged that kid to be a dominant," Arlong mused, echoing his thoughts. Ace watched the monster that was in the shape of a man teeter on his heels for a moment before taking grip of the door handle. He glanced at Ace. "Condoms are in that top drawer. Lube too, if she gets dry. Have fun; you've got 'til four."

It was almost a merciful blessing when that man walked out and closed the door. Ace felt some of the tension he'd been unconsciously holding in his shoulders dissipate. He struggled through his giraffe-leg-syndrome to pull up his shorts and rebuckle his belt. Then he slumped to the floor on his ass, exhausted. He placed his face in his hands for a few minutes, trying to ignore the sound of his brother coming to orgasm again.

In his pocket, his phone buzzed. On autopilot, Ace reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He had a new text message. From Nojiko.

 _Thanks for coming with me today. It means a lot to me._

Damn it. Why was life like this? Why did life have to go around trying to fuck with him?

There was a follow-up message:

 _You mean a lot to me._

The whole fucking world was so damn unfair. Ace hated himself and everyone in it at that moment.

.o0o.

At four, a pounding knock came at the door followed by a curt voice telling them that their time was up. Stiffly, Ace rose to his feet. He didn't know how well this was going to go.

In the glow of his second orgasm, Luffy had fallen limply on top of Nami, and pretty much had stayed there all night. The most movement either of them did was when Luffy had sat up to grab the soiled sheet and pull it over them. Then he resumed what could only be described as post-coital cuddling. They'd been that way for hours, not saying a word.

He seriously doubted Luffy would be amenable to leaving. As if to prove the point, when Nami tried to sit up, Luffy tightened his grip on her.

"Luffy, it's time to go," she told him. She grabbed one of the hands that was wrapped around her and pulled it off. He fought her for a few moments before she won and sat up. She slid off the bed and picked up her discarded robe and tied it in place.

Finally, Luffy sat up. His look was sullen as Nami put first his shirt in his lap, followed by his boxers and shorts. Luffy dressed in an irritated silence. He got up from the bed and shoved his feet into his sandals with an exuberance that showed his aggression on the matter.

When he was ready to go, Nami stepped up to him and gave him a long hug. Luffy didn't seem to be in a hurry to end it either, to no one's surprise.

"Thank you for being my friend," Nami whispered to him. Luffy's grip tightened.

"We have to go," Ace told them, though he felt like he was kicking an abused puppy as he did it. It was of course Nami who broke the hug, stepping back from him. She gave Ace a remorseful glance before her eyes settled on Luffy again.

"Goodbye, Luffy," she said. Luffy closed the distance she'd put between them and kissed her. Ace had to pull on his arm to get him moving. Obviously frustrated, Luffy wrenched his arm from Ace's grip and sullenly strode out of the room. Ace followed silently.

They didn't make it very far down the hall before they heard her start to cry. Luffy immediately stopped and turned to go back, but Ace grabbed his brother in a head lock and kept towing him towards the elevator, knowing that if he didn't restrain his brother, he'd make a scene. He didn't let go until he'd pressed the button for the ground floor.

Luffy immediately punched him hard in the jaw. "We shouldn't have left her!"

"I know!" Ace snapped back, blocking the follow up jab aimed at his stomach, and holding onto that arm for good measure. "I didn't want to leave her either."

"Then why—" Luffy started.

"We're going to take her back," Ace vowed. Luffy huffed in displeasure, but at least he was listening. "We're coming back later today. And we're bringing everything."

"Everything?" Luffy echoed.

"And everyone," Ace nodded. "The old man, that guy Smoker, every damn police officer that isn't a crook. Sabo, too, if I can find his ass."

"Everyone," Luffy agreed. The look in his eyes promised forthcoming malice. Yeah, Luffy definitely wasn't a little kid anymore, and it had nothing to do with losing his virginity.

.o0o.

Despite his early start to the day and the exhaustion from activity, Ace had been unable to sleep while waiting for the night to pass. He'd had a good six or seven hours to reflect on how much he hated himself, on how he deserved to go to hell, and that there was conceivably nothing he could do to get Nami out of that place tonight. The only conclusion he could come to was to tell the old man what was happening.

The problem was that the old man tended to move cautiously. Ace could tell him the location and details of everything that had to do with Arlong Park and the old man could spend days deliberating about how to move in on the place.

They didn't have days. They had hours.

Without a plan in mind, Ace towed his little brother home. Seeing as it was only half past four in the morning, Ace had a feeling that the old man would be there. He was an early riser, but usually not before five in the morning. Ace would have bet on the old man still being in bed, but his luck had been atrocious over the last twenty four hours, so he wouldn't even bet himself.

He would have lost the bet, too.

Every single light was on in their house as they approached. Ace could see that as they turned onto their street. It was probably safe to say that they were busted. Big time.

Oh well. At least he didn't have to wake the old man up now. Luffy had inherited his dislike of mornings from the old man, and with him in his sixties, his attitude regarding mornings had sharply worsened.

Figuring that the cat was out of the bag, Ace elected to let them in the front door. Not to be disappointing, the old man stood a few steps in the house waiting, his arms crossed over his chest and scowling.

"Morning," Ace said, trying to gauge the intensity of the reprimand they were about to get.

"Yes, it is," observed Garp, raising an eyebrow, betraying nothing.

It seemed like the old man wasn't going to say anymore, so Ace just took off his shoes and steered around him down the hall.

"Go sit in the kitchen," Garp instructed. Ace turned a suspicious eye on him.

"Why?" Ace asked. He didn't like being separated from Luffy.

"Because I have things to say to my grandson," Garp told him, "that don't require your interference."

The old man had picked the wrong day to bring up the fact that Ace was not his charge by choice. It had been a solid twenty four hours since he had last slept and the scope of emotions and trauma he had been through was turning the last of his patience into dust.

"Fuck if I care!" Ace snapped. "He's my brother! And between the two of us, I think I give more fucks about him than you do!"

"Portugal D. Ace, go sit in the kitchen," Garp responded. "Now."

Angered beyond reconciliation, Ace punched a hole in the wall before stomping towards the kitchen. He made it two steps in before he recoiled back into the hall.

"What the fuck is he doing here?!" Ace hollered, pointing to the man with wild hair and a facial tattoo sitting at the table.

"If you would, for one minute, sit down and act like the adult that your eighteen years proclaims you," Garp replied with growing irritation, "I will explain. As soon as I am done with Luffy."

Ace didn't want to sit anywhere near that bastard, let alone in the same room. But he also wanted to know what was going on. So, instead of sitting down, he went to the fridge and pulled out some leftovers. He hadn't eaten since yesterday evening and he was starving. That's the best he could offer the old man in terms of behaving as he'd asked.

"So, Luffy," Ace heard Garp say from the hall. "Where's the money I had stockpiled in my room?"

Ace froze in retrieving his chopsticks. Shit. How had the old man known it was Luffy who took it? Was it just taking a fifty-fifty guess? What was Luffy going to say? Ace had wanted to explain this to the old man, because he was pretty sure Luffy had only a minimal understanding of the situation.

"It was an emergency," was the answer Luffy gave him. He didn't sound regretful or even chagrined at being caught. He sounded very matter-of-fact.

"Well, that emergency just cost you your freedom for the rest of this year," Garp told him. "Go to your room. And don't plan on leaving it again until school resumes."

Ace listened as Luffy stomped past the old man and up the stairs, his sandals still slapping against his feet. Apparently, Luffy didn't remember to take them off at the door. It was a common occurrence, but Luffy had stood there and watched while Ace had removed his own shoes. Was he that distracted by what had happened to them that he couldn't concentrate on anything else?

The old man made it into the kitchen and gave Ace a dirty look as he stood by the refrigerator eating cold leftovers instead of sitting at the table like he was told. Garp took a seat at the table, albeit as far from their 'guest' as he could get, and addressed him.

"I would think that at your age, I shouldn't have to remind you that though you are considered an adult, your brother is still a minor," Garp admonished. "Though I am relieved slightly at the fact that he was with you all night, that doesn't make the fact that you dragged your brother out with you until all hours of the morning any more excusable."

"How long do you plan to lecture me?" Ace demanded, setting aside the mostly gone leftovers. "Because I don't have time for this shit, and neither do you."

Garp sneered at his attitude. "What, pray tell, is so much more important than disciplining my charge?"

Ace felt anger roil inside of him. The urge to tell the old man to fuck off was strong, so Ace had to keep reminding himself that he needed the old man's help in liberating Nami. He took a deep, cleansing breath before addressing the bastard in the room.

"You first," Ace insisted, jutting his chin at the other man. "What's he doing here?"

The third man smirked, amused probably by the discord he caused.

"He has come to offer his…assistance on an investigation," Garp explained cautiously. "Now your turn. Explain exactly why I shouldn't take you out back, cut a switch and box your ears like you are a little child again."

Ace took another cleansing breath. He didn't like giving out any specific details in front of their 'guest,' so he settled on the most simple explanation.

"I found Nami," he stated. Garp's expression didn't change. Ace had studied the old man for years, and therefore knew his 'tells.' This was one. Garp had been moderately surprised by this revelation, and was working out what to do with this new information.

"Did you, now?" he responded, sitting back in his chair. For no reason that Ace could fathom, he looked at the third man as he spoke. "Based on descriptions of the men that supposedly abducted her, I expected her to be in the possession of the yakuza boss Arlong."

Ace's anger was riled again at this information. The old man had known that's where she probably was? Why the fuck didn't he say anything before?

"I see that is not the case," Garp murmured as an afterthought.

"The hell it's not," Ace contradicted. He very suddenly had the full attention of both men. Garp got up from his seat and walked very slowly over to Ace.

"I think you will be needing to explain yourself," Garp urged in a tone that showed how pressing the matter was. "Very quickly."

It had been a long time since Ace had been intimidated by the old man. A couple years at least. But though he was unsettled by him, Ace didn't want to show weakness in front of an enemy. He jerked his head in the direction of said enemy.

"Not in front of him," Ace clarified. Garp sneered again, and turned to face the 'enemy.'

"As it happens," Garp sighed, "he is here on that very matter. Well, maybe not that yankee girl's behalf, but to _assist_ with taking down Fishman Village."

Ace shot a dark look at the third man. "The fuck makes taking down a yakuza any of your damn concern?"

The man smiled recklessly. "I couldn't care less."

Ace knew it. The man didn't give two shits about what was going on. So why the fuck was he here?

"But my right hand man had a wild urge to subdue them," the man went on, shrugging indifferently. "He was quite distracted by the prospect, and quite frankly, it was interfering with his other work. So here we are, getting rid of a distraction."

Something still didn't add up. Ace narrowed his eyes at the man. He was the only one there. "We?"

The front door opened and closed with a slam. Ace briefly panicked that Luffy had taken off, but after a moment, he discerned that he could still hear Luffy stomping about his room upstairs. Besides that, he could hear footsteps coming towards the kitchen, whoever it was having not removed their shoes either.

"Oh, you little bastard," Garp cursed, eyeing the newcomer. Ace stood transfixed for a moment before stepping around Garp and walking over to his estranged brother to embrace him.

"What the hell, Sabo?" Ace asked in lieu of greeting, pounding the man's back fiercely. "You don't answer me for weeks on end and then just show up out of the blue?"

Sabo chuckled, slapping Ace's back too. "Meh. You know me, I get distracted easily."

Ace shook his head at his brother's explanation. Though it was lackadaisical, it was unerringly true. Still, as happy as Ace was to see his brother, he was also irritated to see him in the presence of that arrogant bastard. Ace knew Sabo was a subordinate of his, but it seemed like he had been promoted over time.

"Right hand man, eh?" Ace asked, unable to hide the distaste in his voice. Sabo shrugged.

"I'm just good at what I do," he replied. Ace sighed in dismay, but gave up the argument. Sabo took a chair at the table next to the bastard and grudgingly, Ace sat down too. Looks like they were all in this together, for better or worse.

"Now, if you please," Garp said, taking up a chair at the table as well, "please tell us. Everything."

Ace frowned at the old man and threw a dark look at the bastard. Sabo gave him an easy smile and Ace couldn't help but give him half of one in return. Looks like Sabo would be with them after all in this fight.

"Alright, here goes," Ace muttered before taking a deep breath and beginning.

.o0o.

Despite Ace leaving out a few… _intimate_ details that he didn't feel comfortable sharing in the presence of the bastard (he didn't think it was anyone's business about his sex life, or Luffy's for that matter), it still took Ace over an hour to explain everything. Where exactly Arlong Park was, what the insides looked like, and how many people he had seen around were just some of the things he told them. Sabo and the bastard needed a little more clarifications on what made the situation so dire.

Ace had to explain that Nami was Luffy's friend from school, that she'd been abducted four weeks ago and turned into a Mermaid, that Luffy had accidentally found her and had been going to see her every night, that they had tried to buy her away from Arlong, but she had already been sold off to a permanent buyer. That last detail was the only one that ruffled Sabo out of the whole explanation.

"Mermaids can be sold off?" he repeated, looking a little ill at the prospect. Ace nodded.

"That's why we don't have much time," Ace told them. "She said she leaves Arlong Park tonight. If she leaves that building, we'll probably never find her again."

'Not alive, anyway,' he mentally amended, recalling the sickening lacerations and ugly bruise.

Garp heaved a heavy sigh. "To think my idiot grandson stumbled upon the very thing I have spent years searching for completely by accident. The fool didn't even know where he was."

"Neither did I, at first," Ace defended. "It wasn't until Nami told me that she was a Mermaid that I knew exactly where I was."

Garp made a face that said that it didn't matter; that was hardly an excuse.

"Even if I assembled every man that I had confidence in to storm that strong hold and put it on lockdown," Garp put forth, "there's still no way for us to succeed. Fishman Village has been expanding its reach over the last six months and now has its influence in over eighty percent of East Blue. It's estimated that Arlong has roughly ten thousand men at his disposal. It wouldn't be the fight with the men at Arlong Park that would kill us; it would be the reinforcements."

Ten thousand men. That was not a small number. Ace's shoulders slumped as the situation grew more bleak.

"A trifle," the bastard declared. "Easily remedied."

Ace shot the man a scathing look. He wasn't taking the situation seriously. He was openly belittling it.

"Call in our reserves," the bastard instructed Sabo. "You'll be in charge of them. Once the building goes into lockdown, you'll make sure nothing gets in or out."

Sabo smirked, taking his cell phone out of his pocket. "Can do."

Ace gave his brother an incredulous look.

"Don't worry," Sabo told him, standing up from the table while dialing. "Our people have mad skills."

Ace wasn't mollified in the slightest. He watched Sabo walk out of the kitchen towards the front door, already talking to somebody called Koala.

"The matter of getting into the building in the first place…" Garp trailed off. Ace knew of one way, but the old man wasn't going to like it. Hell, he didn't much like it himself. He knew the moment anything happened at Arlong Park, the cease-fire negotiated for Nojiko would evaporate. The thought made him feel ill.

"I can get you in," Ace stated, wracking his brain for a way to keep Nojiko safe in the meantime. "They already see me as a customer. I'll go in after six when so that the building should be empty of any regular office workers. I'll pay for a random Mermaid and go up to the top floor. I'll unlock the doors from there. You just need someone on the outside to hack their security system so their cameras go down."

"And how, per se, do you plan on letting them in?" the bastard asked. "Unless there is some master control on the Mermaid floor that you neglected to mention."

Ace sneered at the man. "Do you know what happens in the event of a fire in any office building?"

The bastard raised an eyebrow in amusement, but did not respond.

"The locks on every door automatically unlock," Ace answered his own question. "And the elevators shut down. The only way out of that building is going to be through the back stairwell."

Ace had been right; Garp disapproved of his plan. He didn't outright reject it, though, which Ace took as a good sign.

"I like the way he thinks," the bastard praised. "He has a talent for this sort of thing. Could be useful in my outfit."

"Fuck you," Ace replied. Praise from that man disgusted him, and the thought of working with him on a temporary basis was hard enough. There was no chance in hell that Ace would take up a permanent mantle with the bastard, whether or not it meant Sabo would be around more.

"Can you organize this raid by six o'clock?" the bastard asked Garp, untroubled by Ace's terse denial against his offer. Garp glanced at his watch and Ace unconsciously did the same thing. It was ten after six in the morning. Could the old man pull a raid together in just twelve hours?

Garp was silent for a very long time as he deliberated. Ace started to become agitated as silence seemed to fill the entire house. He could actually hear Sabo outside talking on the phone, it was so quiet. It was when the old man made the decision on whether or not he could swing a raid that Ace realized what was wrong.

"I think I can," Garp answered as Ace bolted up from his chair, knocking it to the floor. He was out in the hall and then taking the stairs two at a time to get to the second floor. He made the trip to Luffy's room in four wide, jogging strides and threw the door open.

The room was empty, his curtains swaying slightly in the breeze coming in through the window left open in Luffy's wake.


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Ussop

**Chapter Fifteen: Ussop**

Ussop was, if nothing else, a realist.

He had pride, just like everyone else, but he could also admit that he was not the brightest crayon in the pack. But likewise, he was also not the dimmest. So when Nami had warned him off about mentioning Fishman Village in the ambulance after the showdown with the Black Cat gang, he had quickly realized two things: one, if he valued his aching, yet somehow still alive body, he would take her advice and not say those two words together again. Two, Nami was somehow connected to that mysterious entity.

Ussop did value his battered and bruised body. When Garp had questioned him in regards to the gang fight, Ussop had held his tongue on that subject. In fact, he'd never said those words aloud since.

But Ussop was also curious to a fault, and that fault lay this time in the fact that he had spent his time at home recuperating from his injuries researching Fishman Village on the internet. Google had been no help to him; it only showed him articles theorizing about a crime syndicate that was going by that name that had its roots in East Blue. So Ussop had done something that he _really_ shouldn't have and hacked into the database of the Special Police, headed by none other than Luffy's grandfather, Garp.

There, he had found a plethora of information. Names of known members, mug shots, suspected members, crimes committed, suspected crimes committed, areas of the city that were 'owned,' and even more information that Ussop hardly had time to process as he read it. His head was spinning in information about the yakuza that had claimed more than half of the city. Nami had been right; he definitely needed to refrain from talking about Fishman Village in front of anyone ever again.

But all that information didn't explain how Nami had known about it in the first place. Ussop had tried piecing together theories, and once had even convinced himself that one stuck. But Nami's actions blew it right out of the water soon after.

When she had saved him from getting the hell beat out of him by seven guys, she had threatened the men to retreat using those words: _stay off of Fishman Village_. It was reasonable to think that Nami knew about Fishman Village and the area belonging to them because she had been approached by one of their members. She could have just been repeating what was told to her.

But then, why would she preempt the declaration with a threat: _I'll only say this once more. Next time, it will be war._ She was threatening them like she belonged to the yakuza herself.

It couldn't be true, though. Nami had taken himself and Kaya to the police station to file reports on the incident. Granted, she had also dragged them away, declaring the police as too scared to help them. But after she'd taken them to the prosecution attorney, Smoker. She couldn't belong to a yakuza.

Her conversation with Kuro Cat gave plenty of evidence to the contrary though.

" _What, no threats about this being Fishman Village? Shall I let you call your employer to tell him what is happening here? Or possibly you think it unwise to tell your employer about your involvement with Garp?"_

Nami had remained silent. What did her employer have to do with anything? How was her boss involved? Kuro had mentioned him again, too.

" _Perhaps I shall be the one to send a message today. Tell your employer that I do not intend to invade his so-called Village. That as soon as I have finished with my business with that brat Kaya, I will leave this town for good."_

His Village. As though Fishman Village belonged to Nami's employer. If that were true, that would have to mean that Nami's employer was none other than the head of the yakuza, Arlong.

Ussop had felt a chill go down his spine at that revelation. Arlong was one of the, if not the most, dangerous men in East Blue. He was renowned for his cruelty and particularly notorious for being especially violent in his paybacks. Nami couldn't be working for him.

But there was also her response to Kuro that had to be considered:

" _You'd better kill me so I don't tell him. He finds out you did this, it won't matter where you go. He'll find you and pay you back in full. And then some."_

It definitely didn't do anything in terms of evidence to the contrary. At this, Ussop had to seriously consider that Nami belonged to the Fishman Village yakuza. In the following days, the evidence that surmounted didn't do any favors to prove the contrary either.

The day he'd come back to school was the day after Nami had gone back to 'work' after the gang fight. She'd been covered in fresh bruises but passed it off as a mugging. Had her 'boss' been angry at the altercation? A week after that, she'd almost an entire week off school because she was 'sick.' Was it coincidence that according to the records in the Special Police file (that he was still hacking into on occasion), Nami was absent the same week that Fishman Village was alleged to have taken over a new part of the city?

And what about the whole incident at the Baratie? After the fact, the four of them had been told by Smoker that it was Don Krieg, former owner of that part of the city, and one of his men that had come into the Baratie. But long before the Don was brought into the Baratie, Nami had recognized the beaten man who had invaded the shudoku and warned Sanji about him. Had she known because she had been one of the persons dutied with eradicating the Don's mafia?

Why had it been reported in the Special Police database that Nami had been taken without a fight by four men matching descriptions of known members of Fishman Village?

Because Nami belonged to the yakuza, that's why. It was the only explanation, reasonable or otherwise. And yet, even with all the evidence pointing towards that conclusion, Ussop could not bring himself to tell his friends about it. Especially Sanji. Ussop was sure to get an ass whooping from the insinuation, regardless of how much evidence he came up in support of his claim.

But still, for Nami to disappear without a trace like that was more than a little odd. It tugged at his brain day and night, telling him that something was very wrong. He couldn't help but worry over his friend that something bad had happened to her. He also knew he wasn't the only one.

Sanji was definitely the most verbose in his concern for Nami. It got to the point sometimes where Ussop wanted to find Nami solely for the purpose of shutting Sanji up. But beyond his declarations of love and devotion to the 'angel' he had met and known for only a few short hours, there was true concern. Sanji had been the one to push her out of the shudoku, and therefore blamed himself for her disappearance.

In comparison, Zoro was a man of few words on the subject. In fact, the most words he had ventured on Nami's disappearance were directed at Sanji. On occasion, Sanji had muttered to himself laments about not pushing Nami out that door, about having kept her in the shudoku with them, to which Zoro had always scathingly replied that worrying about things done to Nami in the past was irrelevant to what was actually important: her future.

But even as Zoro was reticent on the matter, he was still not the person who said the least on the matter. Luffy was completely silent. It was odd, and they all recognized it. Beyond helping out with a city search for Nami a few days after her disappearance, Luffy had neither said nor done anything regarding Nami since. Whenever the subject came up, he did not utter a single word. Even when directly questioned about it. He simply remained silent until distraction took him and he changed the subject, usually in the direction of food.

It had begun to irritate all of them. Ussop had a hard time putting up with Luffy's aloof nature on the subject, and it had already been at least a week or so since Sanji had bellowed at him on the matter. Zoro seemed to be the only one who still had patience for the boy, but then again, Zoro had known him the longest. Maybe patience for Luffy's quirks was something acquired over time.

That still didn't put Ussop in a mood to deal with him, though.

So today, when Luffy had come banging on his door at six o'clock in the morning and demanded that Ussop get ready to go, Ussop had a very hard time mustering up patience for the boy. Ussop had complained about the time of day, stating that Luffy could have at least waited until a decent hour to come collect him. Luffy had listened in silence while Ussop had gone on that little tirade, rubbing sleep from his eyes and raising a hand to block the onslaught of the morning sun's rays.

He was cracking a big yawn when it occurred to him: Luffy never remained silent unless the topic of conversation was Nami. Ussop blinked blearily against the morning sun, trying to get a good look at Luffy. What he saw made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

Luffy was changed somehow. Gone was the carefree boy that loved to lounge around all day and eat food until he was ready to burst, laughing at anything and nothing. In his place was a determined, furious, quarrel-bound man that made Ussop pity the person who was to be his opponent.

Struck by the gravity of the mood, Ussop took a moment to think before asking the only important question there was.

"Luffy, where are we going?"

"We're going to get Nami," Luffy answered firmly. "We're going to take her back."

.o0o.

Since Ussop was a realist, he could also readily admit that he was a coward.

It wasn't just fights or the threat of pain that made him cringe, Ussop disliked discord in general. He felt life was better served in a pleasant mood, such as hanging out with friends on a Friday afternoon watching television and bullshitting stories. Not storming a yakuza headquarters with a dismal four against a legion of hundreds.

But, as cowardly as he was, Ussop would not abandon a friend. Especially not one who had done the same for him.

He was not good at coming up with plans. In the Black Cat incident, it had been Nami who had directed everyone as he ended up as a helpless hostage. But Ussop was also not one to rush headlong into things, so as he changed out of his pajamas into some clothes that he didn't particularly care for (somehow he knew his clothes were probably not going to survive the day) he scoured his mind for possible ways to retrieve Nami and somehow come out of this situation with his life intact.

First of all, he wanted some sort of protection. If someone was planning on using him as a punching bag, Ussop was going to be prepared for it. Somewhat crudely, he used a roll of duct tape to adhere a couple text books to his stomach. After some forethought, he added (albeit awkwardly) some books to his back as well to protect his kidneys. He also wanted something to protect his face (mainly his newly healed nose) but without more notice than a morning rousing to get ready to go, Ussop was without that sort of protection.

Secondly, he was not about to storm any sort of stronghold, yakuza or otherwise, without doing some research on it first. He grabbed his laptop and put it in a back pack, hefting that onto his shoulder. It wouldn't be much, but after they picked up Zoro (which Ussop believed to be next on Luffy's list of retrievals) they would have at least a thirty minute train ride to occupy before arriving at Sanji's.

Third, and perhaps most importantly, Ussop wanted a way to defend himself. He was not so foolish as to believe that he was going to be on the offense part of this team, but as soon as his bushy-haired head was seen in cohorts with the other three (who would no doubt cause a disturbance), Ussop was going to be labeled a target. The text books on his stomach would help him if someone got close enough to beat him to a bloody pulp, but Ussop didn't want anyone to get that close without a fight.

Emptying a drawer in the kitchen, Ussop put every knife he had into the back pack. Zoro had praised him for his knife throwing skill at the Baratie and Ussop did not take the praise lightly. At that time, he had merely been aiming to dislodge the gun from Krieg's hand, but a knife in the forearm had done the trick just as nicely. Since that day four weeks ago, Ussop had been honing that skill a little each day. He wasn't necessarily throwing knives, but he had gotten into the habit of setting up tin cans in a row in his back hard and throwing rocks to dislodge them. He'd gotten pretty fair at it, if he had to say so himself.

Lastly, as an errant thought, he grabbed both the duct tape and a can of WD-40. There was an old saying of his Pop's that he could never really get away from: _if it don't stick and it should, use duct tape. If it sticks and it shouldn't, use WD-40_. Such an odd thing to think of at that moment, especially since his Pop hadn't been around in years, but somehow, having those two things with him made Ussop feel more at ease about what he was about to do.

It had taken less than ten minutes for Ussop to get ready, book taping and all. Luffy didn't seem to be in a mood to wait, though, which was why Ussop had hurried in his preparations. With the sun barely up, the two of them took off at a jog (much to Ussop's distaste; he was carrying some heavy stuff) towards Zoro's place.

Zoro lived in a tiny, two room apartment by himself. Ussop didn't yet know why Zoro lived on his own or who took care of the rent for him since he knew it wasn't Zoro himself. The lazy bastard spent most of the time he wasn't eating or fighting stretched out sleeping and clearly didn't have a job. It didn't matter though, and it was probably a good thing that he did live on his own, since before they had reached the end of the block, Ussop heard the shrill ring of a telephone that was most definitely coming from his house. Luffy picked up his pace at the sound of it.

Zoro was, much to Ussop's surprise, already awake when they made it to his apartment about ten minutes later. Ussop had doubled over and panted to catch his breath while Luffy banged on the door to get Zoro's attention. Much faster than expected, Zoro appeared, already dressed for the day and wearing a suspicious look at the sight of the two of them.

No words were said. Luffy and Zoro simply shared an intense look for a few moments before Zoro turned away, walking further into the apartment. He returned less than a minute later with something Ussop recognized: the sword from the Clown incident he'd spied on. Zoro locked the door behind them, and sooner than Ussop really wanted (he had still not caught his breath) they were jogging towards the train station.

On the train, since it was not even six-thirty in the morning, they were able to find seats, much to Ussop's delight. He took the laptop out of the back pack and started it up even as he still panted, spent from jogging.

"You should train your body more," Zoro told him, unfazed by the jog. Ussop glared at him.

"I ran twice as far as you," he shot back. Zoro pointed to Luffy, who was also unaffected by the exercise. "He's abnormal!"

Zoro smirked. "Can't argue with that."

"Alright, Luffy," Ussop began, getting to the task at hand, "I need to know exactly where we are going. Where is Nami being kept?"

If Zoro was at all surprised at what their mission was, he didn't betray it. He simply looked at Luffy too, waiting for his answer. Luffy, who still wore a dangerous look that quite frankly, was freaking the shit out of Ussop, spared him an agitated glance. "Downtown."

"Where, downtown?" Ussop asked, needing clarification. "Sabaody Street? Red Line District? Where?"

Luffy grabbed his head with both hands and shook it in frustration. He appeared to be too disconcerted to answer the question. Zoro sighed.

"Is it by Udon Emporium?" Zoro asked, listing off a restaurant that was downtown in the area of Sabaody Street. Luffy shook his head a little less frantically, which Zoro took as a no. "Yakitori Palace?"

Luffy shook his head again, seeming to concentrate. "Across the street from the ryoutei with the orange and purple sign."

Of course, Luffy knew where Nami was not based on street names, but by what restaurants were near her. It figured. Ussop had to hand it to Zoro; he had known how to ask the questions needed when Ussop could not.

"There's nothing across the street from there but some office buildings," Ussop recalled, knowing exactly which ryoutei he was talking about. Luffy nodded in agreement.

That…certainly didn't sound like a crime boss headquarters. Kinda made sense now why Garp and his men hadn't found it yet. Ussop Googled a street view of the area and showed the image to Luffy. He pointed to a simple, non-descript building immediately.

"That one," he declared. Ussop looked at the number on the building and searched for a building layout on the internet. It was listed as an office building, like Ussop had previously thought, though the top two floors were deemed adequate for living space according to schematics. That, Ussop guessed, was probably where Nami was. And therefore, by process of elimination, where Arlong and his subordinates were too. But still, fifteen floors of office workers…

"We're going to need to get people out of that building before we go in there," Ussop stated, thinking about the sheer amount of potential hostages that were available to the yakuza.

"Easy," Luffy dismissed. Ussop and Zoro shared a bewildered look.

"Care to explain?" Zoro prompted. Luffy gave Zoro a mischievous look, at least for a moment looking like the care-free boy they were used to.

"Remember in middle school when we were in science class and spilled the white powder into the blue stuff?" Luffy asked. Zoro groaned.

"Luffy, we can't start a fire," Zoro disagreed.

"The school was empty in five minutes," Luffy reminded him.

"I really don't want to get arrested for arson," Ussop complained, but in truth, it was a sound plan. It really would get all of the bystanders out of the building without much trouble. Somehow, Ussop knew the inhabitants of Arlong Park would not evacuate with the normal office folk.

"How are we going to get in there in the first place?" Zoro asked. "Can't set a fire if we're stuck outside."

"That won't be a problem, either," Ussop told them. It was Zoro and Luffy's turn to look at him incredulously. "It's an office building. They get packages all the time."

"That may be true," Zoro pointed out, "but that doesn't guarantee you getting past the front desk."

Ussop had to concede that point. He was at a loss.

"Maybe Sanji will have an idea," Ussop mused. Zoro snorted.

"That shitty cook," he muttered. "He's not going to be able to concentrate when we tell him where we're going. He's been blaming himself since this whole thing started. Giving him the chance to help save her is going to put that fairy-brain of his in overload. Might be better if he didn't come with us."

"He's coming," Luffy stated firmly, back again to the dangerous look. Even Zoro could see that argument was pointless.

They were off the train by seven and making their way to Sanji's place, which was only a few blocks from Smoker's office. They didn't get far before they encountered a problem. The area was crawling with police men.

"I'm gonna take a wild guess and say your grandfather is looking for us," Zoro hazarded. He got no denial in return. "We're not gonna be able to get anywhere near that ero-cook's place."

"Who you calling an ero-cook, snot-hair?"

The three of them turned to see Sanji walking up behind them, not dressed in the usual host suit they were accustomed to seeing him in, but rather very casually adorned in jeans and a tee shirt. He took in their stunned silence and smirked.

"I got a call about forty-five minutes ago from your brother, Luffy," Sanji told them. "He was very adamant about finding you. Conversely, told me not to leave the restaurant to find you under any circumstances. Naturally, I ignored him, since if I didn't, in all likelihood, I would have ended up trapped there all day being baby-sat by East Blue's most incompetent. Going with you and doubtlessly getting into trouble later sounded like the more appealing option."

Zoro rolled his eyes, Luffy smirked, and Ussop shook his head in resignation. Oh well. At least they were together now. Sanji gave each of them a scrutinizing look in return before asking the important question.

"So, where are we going?"

.o0o.

In the end, Sanji did have a pretty good idea of how to get into the building and past the front desk, though it would cost them a few hours of waiting time.

Sanji, who had taken the explanation of where they were going with much more composure than either Zoro or Ussop could have imagined, had immediately asked them how they were getting into the building that held his 'beloved swan.' That corny pet-name was the only slip in Sanji's composure that any of them saw as they rode the train towards downtown.

After admitting that the best idea they'd had was to deliver a package, and also pointing out the problem with that plan, Sanji had simply altered one aspect of it.

"Food delivery," he calmly put forth. "You'll have to deliver it to one of the floors personally."

The idea was perfectly sound, although they wouldn't be able to get into the building until around noon. The next problem lay in determining who should take the food in and start the fire. Luffy was not an option, since the people at the front desk were already familiar with him. Not to mention he had the memory and attention span of a goldfish at times. Sanji insisted he would be best, since it was already his forte, but Zoro rejected the idea, stating that he didn't trust the cook to not be overcome by his feelings and ditch out on his duty to go off and fight alone.

"Oh, so you think you'd be better, is that it, droopy-eyes?" Sanji retaliated. "I doubt that front desk is going to let you deliver shit with a sword on your hip. You going to give that up in light of creating a distraction?"

As usual, the two of them were on the verge of a full-blown fight. Ussop sighed in exasperation, knowing they didn't have time for that bullshit.

"I'll do it," he volunteered.

Sanji, who was starting to show more cracks in his composure, turned on him instead.

"They're not going to let you in with a back pack either," he snapped right away. "How do you plan on even starting a fire? A coward like you? You're too weak to do anything but hide—"

Sanji stopped mid-rant when a hand clamped down onto his shoulder. It must have been a rigid grip, because Ussop watched as Sanji nearly bit through the end of his cigarette as his jaw tightened.

"Ussop will do it," Luffy told him. He didn't release his grip on Sanji's shoulder until he relented.

"Fine," he agreed, regaining his composure at the sight of Luffy's countenance. "How are the rest of us getting in, by the way?"

"In the event of a fire," Ussop told them, "the building's locking mechanisms will automatically disengage. Every door in that building will unlock as soon as the fire alarm goes off."

Sanji nodded in understanding.

"The problem is going to be getting past the security cameras," Ussop lamented. "They'll know we're coming if we don't disable them somehow."

"I kind of want them to know we're coming," Zoro admitted, smiling darkly. "I want those bastards to look at me, judge me as weak and easily dealt with. And then, I want to beat the ever-living shit out of them."

"Agreed," Sanji said, crossing his arms.

"If they see Luffy, they'll know we're there for Nami," Ussop pointed out. "They might do something to her."

That point, the guys could not argue against. No one had any good answers and Ussop sighed in dismay, knowing he was going to regret what he was about to say. Well, maybe not regret, but certainly feel a lot of pain in the near future for it.

"I can probably disable the cameras," he admitted. "I can do it after I've set the fire. No one is going to be able to get a good look at anything with people haphazardly running out of the building. I'll just have to get to their security room, which I'm guessing is probably going to be on the sixteenth floor somewhere."

"You said that's where Arlong and his men are most likely to be," Zoro pointed out. Ussop nodded.

"I didn't say it would be easy," he cajoled, trying to convey more confidence than he felt. Sanji put a hand on his shoulder and looked at him seriously.

"I'm sorry I called you weak and a coward earlier," Sanji apologized. "No coward would ever volunteer for that."

Ussop nodded, accepting the apology. Honestly, he hadn't taken much offense to the comment, since he'd already known that Sanji had been lashing out at him due to his own feelings on the matter. Besides, he wasn't wrong, really.

"You're right, though," Ussop told him as he shucked his shirt. The others gave him an odd look to see the text books taped to his abdomen. "I am a coward. Not very strong either. But that doesn't mean I'm planning on going down without a fight. And since you're right, and I can't take in the back pack…"

Ussop took the laptop out of the bag and set it on a seat before dumping the back pack upside down and emptying its contents on the floor of the train. He picked up three knives and the duct tape, ripping off a strip before taping the knives to his left forearm. He did the same with four knives to his upper arm.

"The text books and the tape kind of take away from it, but I have to admit," Zoro commented, "the whole knives thing is a little bad ass."

Ussop smiled, his pride swelling a little as he taped more knives to his right arm. "I didn't exactly have a whole lot of time to prepare for this."

They all shared a chuckle, even Luffy. Done plastering himself with knives, Ussop put the smaller, leftover knives in his jeans pockets and redonned his shirt, putting the laptop and the other items, the remaining duct tape and WD-40, back in the back pack.

"So what are we going to do for the next—" Zoro checked his watch, "—four and a half hours?"

"Eat a lot of meat," Luffy declared. Ironically, that wasn't a terrible idea. None of them had managed to have breakfast that morning. So when the train stopped near downtown, they went to the ryoutei that was across the street from their target.

It wasn't exactly smooth sailing at the ryoutei at first. Promptly after sitting down, Luffy had tried to order two of everything on the menu. They were told to show their money first. They all looked blankly at each other.

"I gave all my money to you yesterday," Ussop told Luffy, shrugging. Zoro and Sanji nodded in agreement. Luffy looked like his usual, stupefied self.

"I already spent it," he admitted. The others grumbled while they were promptly told to leave; the restaurant only served _paying_ customers.

"I'll pay for whatever they want," offered a man in the corner who was sitting by himself at a table with a cup of tea. The waiter looked from the boys to the man in the corner and asked him if he could do the same and show his money. A fat stack of berries appeared on the table, and Ussop could see that the denomination on the top bill was ten thousand berries.

The waiter stood stupefied for a moment before scuttling off to the kitchen to place the desired order.

"Thanks, mister," Luffy called jovially, somehow back to his former self. If Ussop had to guess, he'd have pegged the change in attitude on the forthcoming food.

"Not a problem," the man assured them, taking a sip of his tea and resuming his people watching out the window of the ryoutei.

Ussop shared a look at Sanji and Zoro, seeing that they held the same attitude as himself; there was something wrong about the man in the corner. Despite being indoors and it being the dead of summer, the man wore a thick sweatshirt and had the hood up, obscuring most of his face. Something about it didn't seem right. Still, they were hungry enough that none of them were willing to turn down the man's offer to pay for their food.

Over the course of the morning, food came to their table in waves. Everyone ate until they were satisfied. Well, except Luffy. He simply ate until Sanji told him he was cut off; they didn't need him puking food everywhere when they got down to business because he hadn't let his stomach settle. At that comment, Ussop thought he heard a chuckle from the man in the corner.

Ussop sent him a fleeting glance and managed to catch a wide grin visible from beneath the hood of the sweatshirt, and on one of his upturned cheeks, the markings of a tattoo. He turned his attention back to Luffy, though, when he burped so forcefully that the glasses on their table shook.

"Disgusting," Sanji muttered. "Such appalling manners."

"I've seen worse," Zoro admitted. "You're lucky he's using chopsticks. Usually, he just uses his hands."

"Pig," Sanji declared, checking his watch. He looked up and signaled to the waiter. "We need an order wrapped up to go."

While Sanji put in the order necessary for their distraction, Ussop heard a cell phone go off. Since the four of them had turned theirs off as soon as they'd all met up (not wanting their movements to be tracked down by Garp), Ussop knew it had to belong to the man in the corner. He was the only person in the establishment besides themselves. Ussop tried to discreetly eavesdrop.

"What is it, Koala?" the man asked in way of greeting. He listened silently for a few moments.

"I am enjoying some tea at a ryoutei in the Red Line District," the man spoke, obviously informing his conversation-mate of his location. He was again silent for a time.

"I am not at all interested in that," he informed the caller. "And you have your instructions."

Luffy let out another bellowing burp, so Ussop missed part of the man's next words.

"—a nice place to sit and watch the show," he said. "I want no more calls unless there is a real problem. Am I understood?"

Apparently he was, because the phone was disconnected after that and placed back in the man's pocket.

"You ready?" Sanji asked Ussop, grabbing his full attention. On the table was a wrapped up order in a brown paper bag, ready to go. Ussop felt a twinge of panic hit him.

"Ye-Yeah," he stuttered. A little numbly, he stood from the table and picked up the to-go order.

"Wait," Sanji stopped him. He turned to the waiter. "Can we borrow a dish towel and an apron?"

The waiter looked incredulous, but then glanced at the fat stack of bills on the table of the man in the corner. The waiter shrugged and went to retrieve the items in question. Sanji stood and yanked on Ussop's hair, pulling the wild, afro-like locks into a bun on the back of his head and securing it with a tie.

"You can't look nervous," Sanji instructed him, putting his cigarette lighter into the front pocket of Ussop's shirt. "You'll give yourself away immediately. The best thing you can do is look impatient. No errand boy ever wants to do his job. Got it?"

Ussop nodded as Sanji affixed the dish towel over his hair like a bandana and tied him into the apron.

"You look the part," Sanji assured him. "You just have to act it now. Can you do it?"

"When I was getting the shit beat out of me a few blocks away from school," Ussop said, adding the duct tape and WD-40 to the brown paper bag that housed the food, "Nami rushed into that foray and took a knife through the hand for me without blinking and eye. This is nothing in comparison. So yes. I can do this."

He hadn't told Sanji that story to assure him, he'd told it to assure himself. With that memory fresh in his brain, Ussop took the food delivery and turned, walking out the door of the ryoutei. When he was crossing the street, he immediately knew there was a hiccup in their plan. A car rolled by in front of him, driven by none other than Smoker.

It was obvious that the man was looking for them.

Ussop considered himself lucky that Smoker didn't stop in the middle of the street and drag him by the ear into the car and take off with him. He attributed it to not wanting to cause a scene, because just as easily as Ussop recognized him, Smoker recognized Ussop. The man who was never without a cigar went white with anger as he kept on driving, only to turn on the next block. Ussop moved his ass across the street to get into the building that housed Arlong Park before Smoker could possibly get out of the car and stop him.

Inside the building, Ussop went straight to the front desk, which was manned by a single person, a man in a business suit. He huffed heavily as he reached the desk.

"Delivery for Saito, third floor," Ussop rattled off, picking the most common last name he could think of. The man behind the desk gave him a squint of distrust.

"Saito works on the fourth floor," he replied, looking suspicious. Ussop tsked in irritation.

"Third floor, fourth floor, whatever," he complained. "Not my problem Pop can't hear a damn thing anymore, but I'm the one stuck delivering for the deaf bastard."

The man behind the desk raised an eyebrow in dismay but jerked his head to the side towards the elevators. Ussop headed towards them and the man from the desk followed. He pushed the button for Ussop to let him in the elevator and scanned a card before pushing the button for the fourth floor. Mercifully, the man returned to the desk and Ussop was left alone for the journey to the fourth floor.

On the fourth floor, there was another reception desk, though this time worked by a woman. Ussop went to the desk and asked for Saito. The woman gave him a look of irritation before pointing down a hallway to the left. Ussop went as directed turning into a room marked maintenance when his eyes fell upon it.

The maintenance room was, blessedly, empty, but Ussop had counted on that. It housed several items belonging to the janitorial staff and Ussop doubted anyone would venture into this room to disturb him anytime soon. Discarding the food to the side, he looked around to see what would be good in starting a fire. Admittedly, there wasn't much. A mop with a wooden handle, some dust rags, and a half a dozen rolls of toilet paper.

Damn it, he had to think fast! Smoker would have no doubt called Garp as soon as he spotted Ussop, and that meant that they were probably already looking in the area for the rest of the guys. He figured it had probably been only two or three minutes since he'd seen Smoker, but if he was in the area, others probably were too.

"Think!" Ussop urged himself. Only one idea came to him, and it involved an explosion. Well, if he was going to do something, he might as well go big or go home.

Ussop went to the bag of food and pulled out the duct tape and WD-40. He put the duct tape around his wrist like a bracelet and set the WD-40 on the floor. He then pulled the six rolls of toilet paper to the center of the tiny room and stacked them in a pyramid of sorts. He sprayed the toilet paper liberally with WD-40 before putting the can on top of the stack of toilet paper. Then, taking the lighter from his pocket, he deftly lit the toilet paper on fire, watching it instantly engulf in flames.

Ussop bolted from the maintenance room and headed for the stairway, which was just a bit farther down the hall. He didn't stop once he was in the stairwell, but groaned as he began to climb flights of stairs. Damn it, why couldn't this guy Saito have worked closer to the sixteenth floor? Twelve floors were going to be torture to climb.

About two floors up, Ussop heard what he'd been waiting for: a loud bang that indicated that the WD-40 can had exploded in the maintenance room. The slippery liquid would have likely saturated the walls and would, with any luck, have lit the entire room on fire. Ussop hoped no one was clever enough to try to put it out with an extinguisher.

Two more flights up, the fire alarm sounded. Perfect! As he passed by a door on his way past the ninth floor, he heard the click of the lock disengaging and knew that was happening throughout the building. Ussop kept ascending the stairs, though his legs were starting to rebel against the exercise.

When he reached the twelfth floor, people started showing up in the stairwell with him, though they were descending , not ascending. He got a few weird looks as he skirted by them, still making his way up. He was panting as he passed the fourteenth floor, his pace slowing to a crawl not only due to fatigue, but the general amount of people going down the stairs.

At the fifteenth floor, he stopped to catch his breath. He needed to be able to move about without problems when he entered the sixteenth floor. For reassurance, he patted his jeans pockets, feeling the stiff metal of the knives there. He could grab one at a moment's notice if need be.

Was he ready to do this?

Fuck no. He wouldn't be ready if he had a year to prepare for this. Still the image of Nami standing over him, a knife embedded in her hand as she defended him against others after knowing him for less than two days burned in the back of his mind.

Ready or not, here he goes.

Ussop climbed the last ten steps of the stairwell slowly, half expecting there to be a thug guarding the door when he arrived. It kind of surprised him that there wasn't. Maybe they didn't realize that the doors had unlocked and were accessible by anyone now.

Ussop put his hand on the handle and steeled himself for a moment. He turned the handle and stepped through the door to the sixteenth floor.


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Nami

**A/N:** This one recaps a little bit. If you don't care for that, scroll to three quarters of the way through this chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter Sixteen: Nami**

The end was coming, she knew.

When Luffy left at four, Nami had stopped crying, but had not stopped despairing. How could she expect Luffy to get ten million berries in less than twenty four hours? She'd told him to beg, borrow, and steal if he had to, even mentioning the time she had beaten the shit out of Buggy's crew and cleaned out their wallets. But it was an unrealistic goal, she knew.

Still, she felt tumults of pain go through her as she did simple things. She was nearly physically unable to clear the dirty sheets from her bed, she hurt so badly. Somehow, she managed, though a process that should have only taken her a few minutes took her nearly a half an hour.

She had to lean against the wall as she walked towards the lavatory. Every step was excruciating, but somehow she made it to the bathrooms. Some of the other Mermaids were there already; it was the only time of day she saw any of them. They took one look at her and all abandoned their own washing to aide her.

These women, who knew nothing about her other than the name Arlong had given her, were trying to help her. She felt a stir of affection for them; people she hardly knew. But that's how it always was for her. She was unable to cast people aside as pawns or useless. She felt the tears dripping again as the Mermaids gently began cleansing away the last day's ordeal. One of them, Akatsuki she thought, disappeared briefly before returning with a balm to rub on her open wounds.

"What happened to you?" Ai asked, eyeing her behind. Nami looked back and saw a reddish welt on her butt.

"I was whipped with a belt," she recalled, shuddering at the memory. The Mermaids murmured among themselves.

"Marking is against the rules," Sakura contradicted, wincing.

"I doubt Arlong cares anymore," Nami muttered. "He sold me to that man. Permanently."

The Mermaids went silent. Nami knew that they were all probably aghast at that revelation. She was pretty aghast herself. They probably realized just as clearly as she did that the man who had marked her, Donquixote, would probably kill her within a month with such violence.

Nami was also given a pain reliever. Kitsune gave her a small collection of pills, telling her to take two with her meals to help with the pain. She barely made it back to her room in time for her meal, though Koi and Kitsune helped her there. Nami momentarily debated not taking the pills, but after she attempted to sit on her bed, Nami was popping the first two pills into her mouth before her meal even made it to her room.

The pills were strong, whatever they were. Nami wondered where Kitsune had gotten them, and also where Akatsuki had gotten the balm. She doubted that Arlong would give the girls these types of things. The only thing she could think of was that their customers had given them to the girls. It was the only answer. Nami had never thought of that; asking Luffy to bring her things she didn't have.

After her meal, Nami could barely stay awake long enough to climb into her bed. She was asleep almost instantly, despite having passed out and slept for a number of hours before. The strength of the pills did help ease her pain, but also knocked her out. Nami made a mental note when she awoke to only take one pill with her next meal. She didn't want to face the wrath of Arlong if he were to get word from her customers that she was stoned asleep.

At one o'clock, Nami took one pill with her meal and waited for her share of customers. After a couple of hours, some of the pain did return, but not near as fiercely as it was in the morning. She knew she'd manage to get by.

Her afternoon was empty of customers and in the early evening, she only had two blow-and-go's. It was a stroke of rare luck, she supposed, that she didn't have to work any harder than that. She was still worrying about Luffy and her request to get more money. She paced the small room repeatedly as she waited for him to arrive, since sitting wasn't comfortable after taking only one pill.

Finally, around eight o'clock as usual, Nami heard the sound of slapping sandals headed towards her room. She stopped and stared expectantly at her open doorway. She was not disappointed. Luffy entered her room with a grin and a wave.

"Yo!"

"Luffy! You're here!" Nami cried in half relief, half anxiety. She took in his roughed up appearance. Had he been in a fight? Did he really try to beat up gangsters for money like she'd suggested? "Did you get the money?"

"Not all of it," Luffy admitted. Nami was not surprised by that answer. She tried her best to not let the disappointment show on her face. "But I got a lot. The ugly is downstairs counting it."

"And he sent you up here to wait?" she guessed. How much was a lot? Could he have possibly scrounged up a million or two?

"Yep," Luffy confirmed, not looking perturbed at all. Lucky him. "What do you want to do while we wait?"

"I—I don't know," Nami admitted, flustered. "I just keep wondering if it's going to be enough. And I worry because I dragged you into this."

"You asked for help," Luffy pointed out. "I wanted to help."

"Yes, but you have no idea what you're getting into," she dismissed, feeling guilt wash over her. "This is some really bad stuff, Luffy. If by chance my boss says yes, we're going to have to run away."

"Run away?" Luffy repeated, perplexed. "Where?"

"I don't know," the Nami admitted, trying to think of where they could go that would be out of the reach of that sadistic man Donquixote. Law had said that he would be able to find them anywhere, though. "But we'll have to go. Tonight, if he lets me go with you. We'll have to stop and pick up my mom and sister—"

Nami stopped speaking mid-sentence. Another man had walked into her room. Nami was puzzled and a little agitated, wondering if another customer had been sent up to her on accident or if maybe he had the wrong room. He was kind of young, though, and for whatever reason, giving her a look of disbelief. Luffy looked behind him at the newcomer briefly before turning back to her.

"Oh, yeah," Luffy spoke up, breaking the shocked silence. "This is my brother, Ace. He wants to help, too."

She panicked.

"Luffy, what did you do!" she cried, grabbing Luffy's shoulders and shaking them. "I told you, you couldn't tell anyone I was here! It was secret!"

"I didn't tell him," Luffy clarified, though chagrined. "He followed me."

As ever, it was another Luffy answer. Of course this guy, Luffy's brother of all people, had simply followed Luffy to her. Because she had never stipulated that Luffy couldn't let himself be followed here.

"This is bad! Very, very bad!" she declared, barely holding back tears as she began to pace back and forth. Another of Garp's grandsons knew where she was. There was probably no getting around this now. She may have been able to finagle Luffy into silence, but chances were, his brother was a little less oblivious to her predicament.

"You need to tell me exactly what's going right now," the young man demanded, grabbing her and stilling her in front of him, confirming that he had grasped the situation very clearly. "Everything. How the hell did this happen?"

How could she explain this! It was impossible to do so and not ruin everything she had worked so hard for. Flustered, she went with her old standby and lashed out.

"It's none of your—" she started, but the young man's grip on her arm tightened and even shook her a little bit.

"Don't you dare say it's none of my business," he interrupted angrily. "I have spent the last three and a half weeks combing this fucking city and papering it with your sister. It's become my business. Start talking."

What?

Her sister? Nami's mind was reeling. This guy knew Nojiko? How?

 _His name is Ace. And we were studying._

Nami felt like the blood had drained completely from her face as she recalled Nojiko's words. This guy, Ace, Luffy's brother, was the guy that Nojiko had been tutoring. There was no way she was getting out of this. She had no choice left but to tell the truth. She felt tears stinging her eyes.

"I didn't lie," Nami told Luffy guiltily. "When I joined, I was just a Messenger. I held that position for six years."

Luffy didn't look bothered by the statement. If anything, he looked confused. He shared a look with his brother, who looked just as confounded, before looking back to her.

"But I was promoted," Nami explained, ashamed to say what she was promoted to. Her eyes met the floor. "And like I told you before, I can't quit. So I had to become a Mermaid."

She looked up at Ace expectantly. He also looked like the blood had drained from his face. She knew it was redundant, but she had to ask anyway.

"Do you know what a Mermaid is?" she asked.

"I figured it out along the way," Ace answered tersely. Yes, Ace knew exactly what a Mermaid was, and had even worked out where he was. He seemed to be looking around the room with new eyes, as if the whole scene had changed. "Why in the hell would you join them?"

"My mother," she answered. "And my sister. They're safe because I'm here."

Ace looked torn at her answer. He was probably debating whether or not the life she had chosen was worth the trouble. Normal people didn't go around worrying about assassination attempts on their family. But Ace was a grandson of Garp; if anyone was going to understand the dangers of the yakuza, it was going to be him.

"Fine. You made a deal with the yakuza," Ace summed up, though he didn't look like anything was fine at all. In fact, it looked like he had chucked the matter aside for the moment. "But then, what's all the money for? Why are you making my brother steal for you?"

Nami felt the guilt eat away at her again. So Ace pretty much knew everything she'd asked of Luffy, huh? More shame rained down on her.

"Things changed," she explained carefully. "A bid to permanently buy me was put in by someone and accepted. I didn't know what else to do. If I leave Arlong Park, the protection I 'pay' for disappears. I needed Luffy to outbid my buyer so we could get my mother and sister and get out of here."

"How much were you sold for?" Ace asked, thankfully seeming as though he got the urgency of the situation.

"One hundred million," Nami answered, watching Ace's eyes threaten to bulge out of his head. She could see that he was probably mentally trying to do the math.

"There was around ninety-eight million in the bag before I asked Luffy to—to add to it," Nami stammered, feeling guilt attack her relentlessly. "I think for Arlong to even consider it, he would have had to come up with at least ten million more."

Ace's jaw dropped and he remained speechless.

"I didn't get that much," Luffy admitted glumly. Nami looked up at Luffy, who somehow was not angry with her. She guessed he didn't really understand what was going on. "I think I got around six."

She'd been expecting that. Six hundred thousand in one day was a lot. It just proved how much he cared for her. She felt the urge to quell his anguish.

"It's okay, Luffy," she assured him. "You did the best you could. It just—it just means you won't get to be my boss."

Luffy wasn't appeased. "Can I still come see you?"

Nami shook her head, feeling her heart breaking in her chest. "No, you can't. But I have one last request, if you'll listen to it."

Luffy's attention was rapt on her. Ace had recovered from being stunned by the amount of money and was giving her an incredulous look. Yeah, she supposed she did have a lot of balls to ask for something else at that moment, but she just had to make sure of one last thing.

"When my boss tells you no," she spoke, "ask to buy the protection of my family instead."

Luffy made a sour face. "What for?"

"Please?" Nami requested, ignoring his question. "You said you would help me. This is the help that I need."

Luffy sighed heavily, obviously irritated. "Fine."

Luffy crossed his arms and looked pretty sullen. Nami recognized his pouting and couldn't help herself. She tugged at his arms until he loosened them and embraced him. He was at least not upset enough to refuse to hug her back.

"Thank you," she whispered, feeling like the two words were incredibly inadequate to express what she felt at that moment.

"What a sorry sight."

Nami tensed at the sound of Arlong's voice. She stepped back from Luffy and scrambled to come up with an explanation for why they were the 'sorry sight' that they were. She should have expected Arlong to come up himself when he had finished counting the money! She was so stupid!

"I come up here hoping to see a show as titillating as the sight from last night, and I find everyone standing around, still fully clothed," Arlong complained disapprovingly.

"I was just explaining to my regular that tonight was the last night," Nami told him, hoping that a tearful goodbye wouldn't be too inappropriate in the situation. Luffy had been coming to her for almost a month now. That warranted affection, didn't it? Or was she grasping at straws?

"Indeed it is," Arlong agreed, though he looked unconvinced. "Though, not without an attempt at otherwise. Your regular put in a bid for you."

Nami attempted to look astounded at the prospect. She gave Luffy a look that she hoped spoke of surprise.

"Sadly, only a hundred and four million is not enough to buy you out from under someone like..." Arlong trailed off. Nami's eyes bulged. A hundred and four million? What? When Luffy had said he'd gotten six, he'd meant million? Where the hell did he find that kind of money?

"Well, let's just say," Arlong continued, "if I sold you from under that man, it better be for ten times the sum he's paying me. I'd need that much to keep him from flaying me."

Nami felt ill at the allusion to Donquixote. A billion? Really? Nami had known that he was a dangerous man, but for Arlong to be so intimidated, she began to wonder about him. Was he a Shichibukai too?

Well, she'd know tomorrow, probably. It was assured now. All that was left was her family. She looked over at Luffy, trying to get him to remember to ask for protection for her family. As he stared blankly back at her, she knew he'd already let it slip from his mind. Thankfully, his brother was a little more on top of things.

"The money," Ace spoke up. Arlong looked at Ace, giving him a measuring glance.

"Yes, yes," Arlong dismissed with a wave. "Aside from tonight's fees, the money will be ready for you when you leave."

"We'd like to buy something else," Ace contradicted. Nami watched tensely as Ace did as she'd asked, wondering if Arlong would become too suspicious of them. This would all be for naught if Arlong decided to look into the backgrounds of Luffy and Ace. The minute he knew they were related to Garp, their lives would be forfeit.

"Oh? Has one of my other Mermaids caught your eye?" Arlong guessed with a smug look. Ace looked disgusted.

"No, we want to buy protection," he clarified. Arlong took on a suspicious look. Damn it! Well, there was nothing she could say now, lest she want Arlong to know she was putting them up to it.

"Protection," he repeated, giving her a sidelong glance. No doubt about it, he suspected her.

"For two women in the Conomi district," Ace explained. "A woman named Belle and her daughter, Nojiko."

A tense, silent moment passed.

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," Arlong grumbled, his eyes narrowing on Luffy. "When the boy started coming here, he asked for Mikan by her real name. So you want to take over the cost of keeping those two alive?"

Ace nodded and the tension in the room skyrocketed. Would he go for it? Nami hoped he would. Arlong was rather greedy, and it was going to be an easy hundred and four million berries if he agreed.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to make a choice, then," Arlong shrugged, and Nami felt dread in her stomach. "You only brought me enough money to buy one woman. Not two."

For a few moments, Nami felt like the world ended. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't hear, and with the tears welling in her eyes, she couldn't see. Choose? Between her mother and sister? It was impossible. They were two of the most important people in the world to her. How could she choose one of their lives over—

"Nojiko," Ace declared. Nami felt the world start moving again and looked at Ace. He seemed completely in control and somehow unruffled by the situation. How had he so confidently chosen one over the other?

Because he wasn't as close to the situation as she was. He saw what she couldn't. After a few moments reflection, Nami felt some of the panic drain, too. Ace had chosen correctly; Bell-mère had some form of protection in Smoker whereas Nojiko had nothing.

"Done," Arlong agreed, smiling smugly. A tiny iota of relief blossomed within her at the knowledge that at least Nojiko would be safe. For now. "Now that business is done, how about that show?"

What?

The dread returned with a vengeance. She'd been reading Arlong's suspicions wrong; he was not suspicious of the boys, but of her. That she had not been performing her duties as a Mermaid. Which she hadn't.

"Come now," Arlong cooed, giving her a dark look. "You don't want to leave your best _customer_ disappointed on his last night with you, do you? Not when he brought along a friend to share you with."

This was the worst situation possible. Nami looked up at Luffy in defeat. Looks like the dream was over, and it was back to the nightmare.

She leaned close to him and whispered, "I'm sorry. Please, Luffy. Whatever happens tonight, don't say a word. Sit on the bed for a bit."

Luffy, though looking unsure, nodded in agreement and hopped up onto the bed, kicking off his sandals.

Nami turned to Ace, giving him an apologetic look before dropping to her knees and reaching up to undo his belt buckle. She tugged his shorts and boxers to his knees. Closing her eyes and mentally wishing an apology to Nojiko, who she'd known was head over heels for Ace the day she'd first become his tutor, Nami began performing fellatio on the boy her sister loved.

Arlong's eyes were on her the whole time. She could feel it. She knew she couldn't give some sort of half-assed performance, so she pulled out all the stops. Ace was, for the most part, pretty stoic, and it was weird. She had gotten him hard fairly easily enough, but he was silent. He was probably disgusted with her. She'd given him no choice, really. So this was what it was like to rape someone? Nami felt ill, but continued to perform.

Finally, he came. He gave a choked groan as he hit his orgasm and slumped against the wall. Nami held him in the recesses of her throat as the semen gradually stopped. She no longer felt Arlong's stare, but another that was even worse. What would she see when she turned around and looked at Luffy?

She turned and saw a lot of anger. Luffy's gaze was switching between the two of them and showed his irritation at the situation. She could tell he wanted an explanation, but she couldn't give him one. Not right now. She prayed that he would keep silent as she got off of her knees and approached him.

The anger seemed to dissipate as she Nami climbed onto the bed with him. She watched as confusion battled arousal on his face. She hoped arousal won. If he was confused, he probably wouldn't be able to keep quiet. Trying to help arousal along, she put her hands on the hem of his shirt and began slowly sliding it up.

He was compliant enough as she pulled his tee shirt over his head and discarded it to the floor. His face was becoming very red and Nami realized that though he had never ever been bothered by his or her state of dress before, that being stripped by her was embarrassing for him. It was then that she realized what she should have thought of before.

He was a virgin.

She was going to take his virginity from him. In front of his brother and Arlong, no less. At least when she'd lost her virginity, she'd been in the comfort of her own home with no one watching her but a blonde stranger who was much nicer than she deserved.

She wanted to make this less awful for him, but had no idea how. It seemed like everything she did was awful when it came to Luffy. Guilt began to eat away at her again and she knew she'd never be able to do this if she didn't somehow distract herself.

She took his face in her hands and she kissed him. In the kiss was all the gentleness she could muster, all the sorrow at her previous actions, and all the affection she felt for him. She doubted he would, but she hoped that somehow, he understood her.

After a few seconds, Luffy reached up and pulled her hands from his face and locked his grip on them at their sides. He broke their kiss and gave her a very solemn look. At that moment, she had no doubt that he had understood her, because he was looking at her and begging her to stop. He knew just as clearly as she did that what was happening was wrong.

'I'm sorry,' she thought, leaning forward and kissing him again. He fought it at first. Though he did kiss her back, it took a few moments for him to finally give in. He let her arms go and gave up all restraint.

Nami pulled at the tie on her robe, letting the satin loosen and fall to the bed. She put Luffy's hands in between the folds of the material and let go, intending for him to remove it for her. It took him a minute to get that far, but he finally pushed it off of her, almost dismissively. He didn't do anything after that, either. His hands just rested on her legs as he kissed her.

She was about to put his hands on her, to help him along in realizing that he could touch her anywhere he wanted, when she was distracted by a conversation from behind her.

"I thought marking was against the rules," she heard Ace mutter. Damn. She'd momentarily forgotten about the bruise on her butt. It had been ugly this morning; now it was probably hideous.

"Was done by the man who bought her," Arlong explained. "Now that she's his property, it's not my concern if he leaves marks."

Nami hoped with every fiber of her being that Luffy didn't see it; she had no doubt that he'd probably be unable to keep quiet about it like Ace.

"Why don't you join in," Arlong suggested, and Nami tensed up for a moment. Luffy felt it and paused too. No, not this, please! Please don't ruin even this!

She was on the verge of breaking down. Then, unexpectedly, Luffy kissed her. He seemed to be trying to comfort her as he kissed her as gently as she had kissed him in the beginning. She grasped at the remains of her composure and steeled herself for what she knew was to come.

"She's taken two at once before," Arlong spoke, as she had predicted he would. Nami had to make a tactical move. She knew she couldn't do anal again, not so soon after being sodomized by that sadist Donquixote. She leaned forward on Luffy, pushing him backwards on to his back. He resisted for a few moments, before relenting.

When she broke away from the kiss, Luffy resisted again. He was trying to drag her back up to his face as she tried to slide down his chest towards his shorts. She put her hands on his crotch and massaged him through the fabric of his shorts and he let go, his head dropping back onto the bed. She dropped the lower half of her body off the bed as she unbuckled Luffy's belt and undid his shorts.

Trying to forget it was Ace behind her, she crossed her legs and waited for him to enter her. She heard the foil of the condom ripping while she discarded Luffy's shorts and underwear to the floor.

"You're in for a treat," Arlong chuckled as Ace grabbed her hip and lined himself up.

She took Luffy's half-hard cock into her mouth as Ace pushed in slowly. By the way his grip tightened on her hip, he was already feeling it. She figured she'd let him get a good pace going before working her muscles. She didn't want Arlong to think she was trying to rush things.

Luffy's hands found their way to her hair. Most guys' hands usually did. Unless they were an arrogant asshole like Law. But she didn't want to think about him right now. She focused on Luffy, since she figured Ace was pretty well occupied as it was at the moment.

It didn't surprise her that Luffy came quickly. For whatever reason, his hands left her hair and pushed at her shoulders, as if to push her mouth off of him. He was probably worried about coming down her throat. She'd worried about stupid stuff like that too when she'd first done it. She grabbed his hands and held them in hers as she rode out his orgasm.

After a broken moan and a shudder, Luffy stared at the ceiling and heaving breaths in and out, looking stunned. Nami figured she had a few minutes before he was coherent again, and when he was, she was going to have to be done with Ace. She began using her muscles on him, causing him to groan and lean forward and rested his head on her shoulder. Only two thrusts later, he was done for.

She felt him ease himself out of her and turned to see him stumble back against the wall. She got up from the bed and went over to the dresser, opening the top drawer. She pulled out another condom, ripped the foil and put the condom in her mouth.

She went back to the bed and leaned over Luffy again, and taking him in her mouth. She made one long, slow bob down his mostly soft length, rolling the condom down him and bringing some hardness back to him.

Luffy got up on his elbows, watching Nami as she climbed back onto him into his lap. She pulled him up until he had to sit up completely and kissed him again. Luffy didn't waste any time in kissing her back with gusto. He seemed like he would be content with doing just that for the rest of the night, but a disgruntled sigh from behind her told her the show wasn't over yet. She rose up on her knees and reached between them, grabbing hold of Luffy and positioning him before sinking down on him. Luffy gave a long groan before kissing her again.

His hands were restless, trying to hold her to him but unable to do so as she began to move up and down on him. At first, he took hold of her hips and Nami figured they would stay there for awhile. But then he was using his grip to try and stop her again.

She didn't know whether his will to stop her was just from the overwhelming sensations he was experiencing or whether he really wanted to stop. She pulled at one of his hands and placed against her breast, trying to distract him away from stilling them. He fondled her breast for a bit, probably fascinated by the feel of it, but soon his hands were on her hips again.

Unexpectedly, Luffy caught her hips in a tight grip and lifted her. Startled, Nami broke the kiss and grabbed hold of Luffy's shoulders. Luffy was up on his knees for a moment before very awkwardly, the two of them changed positions until she was on her back and he was leaning over her. Moments later, he was thrusting into her again and kissing her with abandon.

"Never pegged that kid to be a dominant," she heard Arlong muse. "Condoms are in that top drawer. Lube too, if she gets dry. Have fun; you've got 'til four."

Finally, that bastard was leaving. Most of the tension left the room with him. Nami heard Ace shift down onto the floor, figuring he was probably relieved too. Once again, Luffy somehow seemed to sense the difference in mood within her. The kissing became less desperate and the thrusting less frenzied. It started to feel more intimate now that the monster was gone.

It felt like the number of times Nami had been forced to have sex was irrelevant. It all went away in the time she spent with Luffy until she forgot that she was a whore for the yakuza and instead felt like she was a virgin again. Okay, no, maybe not a virgin. But less used. Like she was a normal girl making love to the boy she loved.

She loved him.

That's how he'd become so important to her over these last few weeks. Because she loved him. The realization hit her hard and she felt tears slip from her eyes and roll back into her hair. Damn it, she didn't want to cry! She absently wiped at the tears and concentrated on Luffy.

He was close, she knew. His breathing was shaky and every thrust came accompanied by a grunt. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close and then clamped her muscles down on him. It unraveled him and he fell into a sporadic pace, groaning into her mouth as he came.

He had been half supporting himself on his forearms, but as the orgasm hit, his arms became shaky and he fell on top of her, the exertion to hold himself up completely spent. He had to stop kissing her, he was panting so bad, but he would not let go. For a long time, all the two of them did way lay there unmoving.

At one point, Luffy must have gotten cold because he sat up and yanked on the sheet below them, dislodging it to pull it over to the two of them before lying back down beside her and wrapping his arms around her again. Maybe she should have said something, or done something about the situation, but she was content to simply be held, cherishing the last night she would ever spend with the person she loved.

.o0o.

The knock came at four on the dot, followed by the terse information that time was up.

Not surprisingly, Luffy didn't move. He remained glued to her side, his arms tightening around her slightly at the proclamation. He was going to be difficult, she knew, and she didn't know if she had the strength anymore to put on an indifferent façade if he got too unruly.

"Luffy, it's time to go," Nami told him, grabbing one of the hands that was wrapped around her and pulling it off. As predicted, he fought her for a few moments before she won and sat up. She slid off the bed and picked up her discarded robe and tied it in place.

Finally, Luffy sat up, looking was sullen as Nami put first his shirt in his lap, followed by his boxers and shorts. He didn't move at first, and Nami wondered if she was going to have to put his clothes on for him. At last, Luffy dressed himself, though in an irritated silence. When he got up from the bed he shoved his feet into his sandals angrily and leaned sulkily against the bed.

Saying goodbye was the last thing she wanted to do. Back before the incident at the Baratie, she had planned to say goodbye nonchalantly, not letting him know that he wouldn't see her again because she didn't want to see the pain on his face. Now, she was unable to avoid it. She pulled on his arm so he was no longer leaning on the bed and embraced him. He did not hesitate to hug her back.

"Thank you for being my friend," Nami whispered to him. She felt Luffy's grip tighten on her. She didn't want to be the one to break the hold, but the Fish would be back any second now, and if Luffy resisted and put up a fight—

"We have to go," Ace stated, and Nami forced herself to let go. She looked up at Ace in remorse, apologizing with her eyes for what he'd been through tonight. She thought he understood her apology. Her gaze settled on Luffy again. He was still very sulky looking and she bit down fiercely onto her bottom lip as she geared up to say what she didn't ever want to say.

"Goodbye, Luffy," she bid. Luffy closed the distance she'd put between them and kissed her. Nami felt pain inside her chest, holding her arms at her sides to keep from reaching out to him again like she wanted to.

Ace took hold of his arm and pulled gently, trying to get the boy moving. Clearly frustrated, Luffy wrenched his arm from Ace's grip and sullenly strode out of the room without another word. Not even a goodbye. Nami felt her chin begin to quiver as she watched Ace silently go after his brother.

She couldn't help herself; she began to cry. She couldn't be silent about it, either. She dropped down to her knees on the floor as sobs wracked her, crying at the finality of their parting. That was it; it was really over. She'd never see him again. The thought only made her cry harder.

.o0o.

Nami cried for a long time after Luffy left. It seemed like every tear she had saved up since she was a child was determined to be set free. She knew that Luffy and his brother Ace (just how small was the damn world anyway) had left shortly after four in the morning. Her tears lasted well past that, all the way until Chew came to her around ten in the morning and told her she had to be made presentable for her new owner.

Nami was sent to the hands of the aestheticians again. The put her in the showers first, lathering her up in all sorts of perfumed soaps. The smell of them made her head ache. Her hair was washed, dried, and curled up again into soft waves. Heavy makeup was applied to cover the dark circles under her eyes. She was dressed in a white silk kimono that reminded her of the old fashion wedding kimonos she'd seen in the history books.

Fitting, she supposed, since like those women of old, she was being sold off with a hefty dowry.

When she was done, she was escorted by Chew down to the sixteenth floor to wait. As they had been the other day when Donquixote and his ilk had arrived, the number of Fish around was greatly reduced, and those that were there were dressed in suits and had a nervous feeling about them. She couldn't imagine any of them, Arlong included, was particularly happy about seeing that man again so soon.

She was directed to sit in a chair right next to Arlong's desk and wait. Nervous tension filled the room and Nami watched the Fish shift uncomfortably as they waited. It wasn't as amusing to watch as it had been the other night.

Without warning, the lights went out for a moment before flickering back on. Murmurs sprang up in the room.

"What the hell was that?" Arlong demanded. It took a moment for an answer to come to him.

"Fire alarm has been tripped on the fourth floor, sir," a Fish told him. Nami saw that the Fish was half in-half out of the room that was used to monitor security.

"If some moron set off the fire alarm by burning popcorn in the microwave again," Arlong growled, "I swear, I will disembowel him myself and feed his gizzards to his coworkers. This had better not disturb the finality of our transaction with Doflamingo."

The Fish in the doorway looked more nervous than the rest of the Fish. Nami guessed he had bad news.

"The fire department has been dispatched," he revealed. "No one is going to be let in the building until it's cleared by them."

Nami watched as the general fear for Donquixote dissipated in wake of fear for Arlong, who had taken on a dark aura that not even Nami had seen before.

"Get Nezumi on the phone now," Arlong snarled. "I want him down here in the next five minutes taking care of this situation."

Several Fish hopped to it, though in the end only one of them would be able to do his bidding. Nami supposed that they hoped that looking like they were doing something useful would spare them Arlong's wrath. She honestly doubted it.

At that moment, the door to the back stairwell popped open and a figure in white apron with stepped through, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. He looked around in dumbfounded shock for a moment before smiling stupidly.

"Anyone order take out?" he asked, laughing nervously. Nami's eyes widened in horror at the sight of Ussop, easily recognized by her even in the ridiculous get up.

Nami stood to scream her warning to Ussop, but was ultimately too late to say anything. A shot rang out from the desk next to her, where Arlong had taken out his fury by means of a gun. Ussop fell immediately, sprawling to the side with the ricochet from the impact of the bullet.

Nami was shoved held in place by the hand of Chew, who was still at her side. She watched, helpless, as Ussop lay motionless, not even groaning in pain. Was he dead? Really? He couldn't be dead! He shouldn't even be here.

"How'd that idiot get in here?" Arlong demanded. "Those doors are locked and are only accessible with a card key."

The Fish in the doorway of the security room cringed. "When the fire alarm is triggered, the locks on the building are disengaged. The elevators shut down, too."

Arlong shot him, too. The Fish fell to the ground, half way between both rooms.

"Get our security measures back up!" he shouted. "I want the elevators working too! Go down to the fucking fourth floor and shut off that damn alarm if you have to!"

Several Fish scrambled to do as they were told, heading down the stairwell towards the fourth floor presumably.

"And get those bodies out of sight!" Arlong added. "I don't want blood staining the carpet."

More Fish moved to do as they were told, but a couple were brought up short. They turned to Arlong, half fearful, half confused.

"What is it?" he demanded. The Fish split and Nami could see from where she was that the place where Ussop had fallen was now vacant. While Chew was distracted, Nami began to inch backwards away from the Fish a bit towards the desk. It was bullet proof, she knew, and she might need it soon.

"Maybe one of the guys grabbed him on the way downstairs," offered up one Fish. The others looked at him for a moment before stepping away, in case Arlong wanted to shoot him as well.

"Send out a general alert," Arlong ordered. "Something rankles."

Nami could feel it too. There was something going on. She didn't dare say it, though.

"Sir, we've got a problem in the stairwell."

Arlong walked to the security room himself, looking ready to break necks with his bare hands. "What is it?"

"It's the all-nighter kid," the Fish manning the security told him. "He's got two others with him. They're on their way up."

"Let the men headed down to the fourth floor deal with them," Arlong decided.

"That's the problem, sir," the Fish explained. "They've already beaten them."

Every single Fish in the room went rigid with tension as Arlong went livid. Nami was positive no one saw Ussop skirt along one wall towards her. She had no idea what his plan was, but it was obvious now that he was there with Luffy in some half-baked plan to save her.

"Idiots," she hissed as Ussop ducked under Arlong's desk to hide. Everyone in the room turned to regard her.

"Something you would like to share with the rest of us, my dear?" Arlong snarled.

Nami couldn't save any of them now, she knew. The best she could offer to her friends was the option of dying with them.

So she stepped away from the desk, stabbing Chew in the leg with a letter opener she'd pilfered from Arlong's desk. Chew crumpled to the floor and she stepped away from him. She knew it was surprise that had gotten him, not the stab itself. He'd be back on his feet in a few moments. She didn't want to be within his reach.

"Well, sixteen is longer than I originally expected to live," she sighed. "So I guess I came out ahead. I'll tell you now; I am not going to go peacefully to Donquixote. You're going to have to kill me."

Arlong narrowed his eyes into slits at her. "Is that so? Even at the cost of the lives of your precious family, who you've work so hard to keep alive these six years?"

"You were going to kill them anyway," Nami accused. Somehow, she just knew it. Call it woman's intuition or whatever. She knew that as soon as she left Arlong Park for good, Arlong was going to kill her mother and sister, regardless of the amount of money he was offered to the contrary.

"I offer you one last chance, little Nami," Arlong said. "Sit down in that chair and wait for Doflamingo like a good little girl and you will escape this little act of rebellion without a mark on you."

"I'd rather die," she stated calmly. "So let's cut to the chase already."

"So be it," Arlong shrugged. He took a phone out of the breast pocket of his jacket and dialed a number. There was a pause while he waited for the other party to answer. "Mihawk. I have another job for you. Yes, the two women whose pictures I sent you yesterday. No, no need to wait anymore. Go now. Do me a favor and make it painful. I'll pay extra. Good man."

Arlong eyed her with malice as he hung up.

"You're in for some trouble, you know," Nami told him, refusing to give in to his goading. "Those boys, the ones on their way up here, they were at the restaurant with Krieg. They survived."

Arlong scoffed. "Impossible. I decreed no witnesses."

"I know," Nami agreed. "But here they come. Which means one of two things: either they bested Dracule Mihawk, or Mihawk cheated you. Which do you believe?"

She knew Chew had removed the letter opener from his leg and had regained his feet. She could feel him just a few steps behind her. She had no weapons on her anymore; all she had left was a mean fist. When Chew came at her, she turned to deliver the strongest blow she could, but she didn't need too.

Chew went to the floor instantly, a knife lodged deep in his chest. Nami saw Ussop standing behind the desk, brandishing several knives. He wasted no time in lodging them into nearby Fish.

"I'll tell you our secret!" Ussop cried, pulling more knives from his pockets. "We're invincible!"

It was a blatant lie, but Nami wasn't about to discredit him. He had the attention of everyone in the room. A big plus as Nami watched the other three idiots, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, walk though the stairwell door and join them.

Fifty Fish versus the five of them. She didn't exactly hate those odds.


	17. Chapter Seventeen: Sabo

**Chapter Seventeen: Sabo**

The plan had been set into motion, although about six hours before any of them were ready for it.

This morning, while on the phone with Koala arranging the details of the meticulous job they were plotting, Sabo's little brother Luffy made a break out of the house. It probably shouldn't have surprised Sabo, since Luffy was at that rebellious age that made him want to defy the old man and would escape from the house eventually, but he hadn't pegged Luffy to lose his temper and leave without any of them. Sabo had assumed his little brother would follow his lead, as per usual.

That was, apparently, the first mistake. The second was to believe that Luffy wouldn't go back to the yakuza stronghold in attempt to rescue his friend on his own. And maybe he wasn't in the building, or on his own. The old man had still not found Luffy or his friends' whereabouts, six hours later. Didn't do anything to put Sabo's mind at ease.

The third mistake was to believe that if he did in fact go back to that building, that Luffy would not be able to get himself into Arlong Park, let alone cause a disturbance. That had been, of them all, the most costly mistake.

Because now Sabo was watching from an alley in Red Line District as people began flocking out of the building that housed the yakuza headquarters Arlong Park in droves. At first, he had considered that maybe the mass exodus was a daily occurrence around lunch time. Who knew? Sabo was no salaryman. Maybe office people preferred to go out to lunch rather than stay in the office.

That theory proved wrong when Sabo caught the sound of sirens on the wind. It could have been a coincidence, but Sabo's line of work didn't allow such things as coincidences to simply be dismissed. Every coincidence had to be checked out, so he immediately dialed Koala. She was supposed to be in an internet café a few blocks away, doing the 'dirty' work.

Koala was their number one hacker, above all else. Yeah, she could do other things too, like infiltrate targeted organizations and even knock a few shitheads around without any difficulty. Similarly, Sabo himself and the other guys in the organization could do some hacking when the occasion called for it. But Koala was the best at hacking, and in this dire of a situation, Sabo wanted the best on the job.

Simultaneously, she was supposed to be hacking into the building's security system to shut down their cameras when the time came as well as keep tabs on dispatch for the police and positioning their team members. It definitely wasn't an easy job, but Sabo knew Koala had the capacity to get the job done. She wasn't the best for no reason.

"What's the status in that building?" he inquired as soon as she picked up. He heard furious typing at a keyboard in the background.

"Fire alarm has been set off on the fourth floor," Koala informed him. "I _just_ finished hacking into the security of that building. It's nothing to scoff at. I'm working on getting a hold of the cameras right now, but I thought this soiree wasn't going down until six?"

She sounded a little irritated. It didn't surprise him. Koala liked things to go according to plan. She said it was better that way in terms of reducing casualties on their side, and yeah, it was probably true. But Koala wasn't good at handling changes on the fly. That's why Sabo was in charge today and not Koala; sometimes a person had to account for the unpredictable.

 _Like Luffy._

It was true. Ever since he was a child, Luffy had been the least predictable among the three of them. Ace liked to think that Sabo had this great understanding of their little brother, but in truth, Sabo probably just was better and dissecting Luffy's motives. And it wasn't hard on this occasion.

According to Ace, Luffy had a friend that was in trouble, also being held in Fishman Village as a Mermaid. It was a little odd, but Sabo wasn't too surprised. He knew that the orange-haired girl was being forced to prostitute at sixteen, so why not others? And why wouldn't Luffy go after someone he held dear? He had gotten into a lot of fights as a child (in which Sabo and Ace usually had to clean up after him) when someone had even mentioned harm against someone he loved.

"There's a boagie in the stairwell. Headed upstairs," Koala told him, cursing under her breath. Sabo smirked. The fire alarm being tripped and being forced to execute their plans ahead of schedule probably pissed her off a little, but that there was obviously someone in the process of infiltrating Arlong Park ahead of them likely irked her to no end. But if nothing else, she was a professional, so she would get the job done.

Koala was probably the closest to him, both in rank and as a personal acquaintance, of all of Dragon's Revolutionaries. But that didn't mean she put up with his shit at all. On the contrary, Koala was the first to call him out if she thought he'd done something stupid. He expected her to be in rare form today, nitpicking him left and right, probably already loathing the fact that she had to answer to himself.

Typically, Dragon was the man in charge. He issued the orders and the rest of them carried them out. On a few occasions, Sabo had been charged with relaying orders from Dragon, but never before had he been put in charge of everything. Koala had likely already complained to Dragon about having to answer to him, if Sabo had to guess.

"Looks like someone got a little impatient," Sabo murmured. In his mind, he could picture Luffy's carefree grin and his impetuous nature pushing him to storm a yakuza stronghold by himself. "What's the word on our positions?"

"Inazuma, Bunny Joe and Hack have made it to their respective locations," Koala listed off. "Everyone else is still in transit."

Damn. That wasn't too hot. He really shouldn't be upset at having three men in place with only six hours notice, but all of them would have been better. He could imagine that the old man didn't have his team of non-dirty cops even briefed on the situation yet. Hell, he probably didn't even know this was going down already.

"ETAs?" he asked, hoping for some good news.

"Twenty minutes at least," Koala diagnosed. Well, that wasn't too bad, he supposed. "But possibly more. Traffic sucks at lunch hour."

That was probably true. And having the fire department and some of the dirty cops out and about was bound to slow them down even more. Crap. Looks like he'd be flying by the seat of his pants for this one.

Whatever. Sabo could handle it. He'd seen worse odds and he'd come through mostly unscathed and his team intact. He just had to focus on what was important and everything would be fine.

In his mind, he pictured the orange-haired girl in her laundry room, hiding her face in her hands as she tried her hardest not to break down crying. She had vehemently denied his help to the very end, but there was no way he could _not_ help her. She was too…too innocent? Nah, that wasn't the right word. Maybe too kind? No, self-sacrificing. Yeah, that was it. She was too self-sacrificing, which struck a chord with him and he couldn't leave her alone.

Sabo noticed that the amount of people flocking from the building was down to a trickle. Now was the time, if they were going to do it. If any cops besides the old man's showed up, none of them were getting into that building without a very public fight. Something the old man was poignantly trying to avoid.

"Tell the others to move in," Sabo instructed. "We're going to secure the ground floor and set the contingency plan into motion. The rest of the team gets to deal with any leftovers on the street for being late."

Koala huffed in annoyance. "You can't just change the plan as you see fit, Sabo."

"Yes I can," he contradicted easily. "The Boss put me in charge of this shindig, remember?"

Koala tried to argue with him further, but Sabo hung up on her. He didn't have time to listen to her bitching and couldn't stand aside anymore. No one had been able to find Luffy all morning, and Sabo was a hundred percent sure it was because he was already in that building. Well, as the resident big brother on duty, Sabo needed to go take care of his little brother, since Ace was otherwise occupied.

Ace. Who'd have ever thought that Ace would find a girlfriend? Certainly not Sabo. Ace was too much of a wild spirit like himself to be tamed by a single person. Or so Sabo had thought. Still, the image of Ace standing in his kitchen fretting on whom to go after first, Luffy or his girlfriend, was one that Sabo would not soon forget. He was going to be making fun of Ace for years to come.

In the end, Sabo had told him to go to his girlfriend since Luffy had another able-bodied brother on the scene. Ace had looked grateful, but not necessarily relieved, at the prospect. But still, off Ace had gone off to be the prince on a white horse for his girlfriend, whom he was sure was going to be in danger the moment anyone set foot into Arlong Park. He was supposed to take the girl to the old man's office for safe keeping before coming back to set the fire that would ultimately let them in the building, but now that plan had gone by the wayside.

Sabo took off out of the alley and across the street. Despite Koala's probable irritation with him, he saw that she had at least relayed his order. Bunny Joe, Hack, and Inazuma were also on their way to the building. As he reached the front doors and pulled, he found the door to be locked. Sabo rolled his eyes when he saw that the manual slide locks had been thrown into place. Really? Did they think that would stop someone? These were _glass_ doors.

Speaking of glass, he heard a window shatter and looked up. From one of the top floors (the sixteenth, if he had to guess) came the flailing body of a man falling rapidly towards the pavement. Sabo didn't bother to watch the man splat on the ground, automatically tuning out the screams of the bystanders. He was too busy staring up at the hole created by the man's impromptu exit of the building. At the edge of it was the figure of a young man with dark hair.

"Well, the party's started," Sabo lamented, knowing it was his little brother in the wake of the shattered window. Now that the glass had been shattered, the sound of bullets being fired was prevalent on the wind. "No need to hold back anymore."

Sabo took out his gun and shot through the glass door, stepping through to the lobby of the building. The other three were right behind him, already armed themselves. The lobby appeared empty at first glance, but Sabo figured that was probably just an illusion. He'd be very surprised if he didn't find at least thirty men waiting to do the dirty business of guarding the front doors.

"Spread out," Sabo ordered. "I want every possible entry or exit covered."

Despite the number that Sabo expected, just two men held the lobby. They had been cowering behind the front desk until Hack walked by, headed for the stairwell at the back of the building. There was a brief shoot out that Hack handled in less than ten seconds and was on his way to the stairwell again.

Inazuma and Bunny Joe went to opposite sides of the building to cover emergency exits, cautiously skirting the room, but there was no one else to subdue. Sabo had remained standing at the shattered front entryway so he had a good view when the first patrol car pulled up out front of the building.

A man whose face spoke volumes towards the likelihood of deceit stepped out of the car in plain clothes, a hat and long trench coat. He had three uniformed officers with him and immediately Sabo knew them to not be on the _IO_ list. The IO list, or Informed Officers list, was the list of trusted officers the old man was supposed to be gathering. No one was to show up in uniform, as to not alert the yakuza of their arrival.

These men, Sabo took as enemies. Traditionally, anyone who had the misfortune to be called Sabo's enemy usually found themselves in a body bag within a very short period of time. However, that damn busybodied old man had put stipulations on the whole who-he-was-allowed-to-kill list. Officers like this were to be _detained_ for questioning. It was a pain, but Sabo also reveled in the fact that the old man didn't decree what condition the officers had to be in when they were questioned.

Lazily, Sabo walked towards the front desk leaned against it casually as he waited for the officers to do their so-called duty. It took a long time, which irritated him quite a bit. Now that he had seen Luffy, Sabo was eager to go to his little brother. Instead, he was stuck watching the newly arrived officers blab to each other outside, probably trying to determine how to handle the situation, for at least a minute. In that minute, Sabo heard more echoes of gunshots coming in from the shattered doorway that added to his desire to go upstairs.

The officers obviously heard the gunshots too, and finally their dallying came to an end. They walked into the building, guns drawn and looking cautious. Sabo smirked, planning on having a goodtime with these morons.

"Yo," he greeted lazily. The four officers paused to regard him.

"My, my," commented the rat-ish looking one in the trench coat. "I had thought I knew all of East Blue's current fire brigade. I see that I am mistaken. For surely, there cannot be a civilian standing so nonchalantly in the lobby of a building that has triggered a fire alarm."

"You're half right," Sabo admitted. "I'm definitely not a civilian. But I also ain't a part of no fire brigade."

"Oh?" the rat man asked, drawing out the one syllable word for a few seconds. "Then, may I ask just who employs you?"

Sabo grinned recklessly. "The Dragon."

The rat man did as Sabo expected and paled at the answer.

His Boss, Dragon, was not surprisingly referred to as The Dragon in the various unlawful circles. He was quite renowned, having a very distinct reputation for the particular skill set he and his subordinates provided. They weren't necessarily the run of the mill felons, but they also didn't follow the law very often either. That didn't stop the law providers from referring to them as criminals, though.

"Were you hoping that I would answer the Sawshark?" Sabo guessed, referring to Arlong Park's boss by one of his aliases. Sabo had been very thorough in his investigations in the last few weeks. "That's what he goes by, isn't it? Arlong, boss of the infamous yakuza that operates in the area called Fishman Village?"

The rat man sneered and looked to one of his compatriots, jutting his chin in a terse gesture towards Sabo. The officer leveled his gun to fire but was beaten to the punch. Sabo had pulled his gun and disarmed all of them in a matter of seconds, shooting the weapons right out of their hands. The cost was a puny bullet through the hand, hardly life-threatening, but by the way the four men pissed and whined about the pain, he would have supposed they'd been shot in the gut and were bleeding out.

"So, do tell," Sabo said, walking over to the whiney men slowly, "how many of your kind are on their way? I'd like to give my men a guestimate."

"My kind?" the rat man huffed angrily, holding his hand gingerly as he backed away. The other officers followed suit. Oh, no, these little bastards were not going to make a break for it; not on his watch.

"Yes, your kind," Sabo repeated, aiming his gun and shooting again. Four more shots popped off and all four men were on the ground, each clutching a leg and howling. "Dirty pigs. Crooked cops. Slit lickers who take bribes from the yakuza."

The rat man sneered again, which was a feat since he was also cringing in pain. "Don't act so superior. You work for a man who is little more than a terrorist."

Sabo shrugged, admitting it. It was the truth after all. "Well, we don't observe all morals, but we observe the important ones."

Like not prostituting minors. Not abandoning the defenseless. And not letting unjust killings go unpunished.

For good measure (and probably because his train of thought had brought the ire back to him), Sabo stomped on the rat-faced man's other leg, breaking it down close to his ankle. Somehow, Sabo knew that this man was integral in Arlong's plans, and therefore, probably directly linked in the imprisonment and selling the body of the orange-haired girl. The man howled in pain and cursed him while the other three men cowered away.

"So I'll ask again," Sabo repeated. "How many of you trash are on the way here?"

It was not the rat man who spoke up, but one of the officers. "Three units were called!"

Sabo figured that this cowardly man probably saw some sort of salvation in admitting the truth, but Sabo wasn't the forgiving sort of guy. He was actually the opposite. The kind that held onto grudges until the end of time. But that officer didn't know that, so he was looking like he had a bright fluorescent _use-me_ sign on his chest.

"Only three units?" Sabo repeated, disappointed. "All we muster is three units? Surely you must need more men than that."

He snatched the radio off of the belt of the moaning rat man and tossed it to the officer.

"Call it in," Sabo instructed. "Every available officer. Send them here right now."

The officer looked a little dubious at the instruction. Sabo leveled his gun at one of the other officers and shot him in the shoulder.

"Every second you wait is going to be another bullet fired," Sabo promised, ejecting an empty magazine and loading a new one. The officer no longer hesitated.

"This is Officer Kadzuki down at Red District Suites!" he shouted into the radio. "Shots fired! Captain Nezumi is down and we've all suffered injuries! This is not a joke! Red District Suites is under attack by a…a group of terrorists! Send anything you've got!"

Sabo smiled, listening to the banter on the radio as several voices tried to confirm or deny the officer's proclamation. He'd just killed two birds with one stone. The old man would be informed of that call, and would at least be brought up to speed that this was going down now, not later. Plus, every shit eating bastard of the police was bound to roll up and show their true colors.

There was something else that needed to be done first, though. He sent a nod to Inazuma and Bunny Joe, watching each of them take a square of plastic explosive out of their pockets and adhere it to the main supports of the building. Hack was supposed to do the same, but he appeared to be distracted. Eyeing Hack, Sabo saw him lean into the doorway of the stairwell, his gun pulled and his head cocked to the side as if he was listening.

"What is it, Hack?" Sabo asked, watching the man tense.

"Two problems," Hack answered. "Reinforcements from above, but they're not coming down. Likely they're going to join the fight on the sixteenth floor."

Fuck. More men headed toward Luffy, Sabo interpreted. Not a good thing.

"What else?" Sabo asked, knowing that wasn't the only problem. Hack had said there were two.

"I'm pretty sure this stairwell leads down to a parking garage," Hack relayed. "And by the sounds of it, there are more reinforcements there getting ready to make their way up. A lot more."

Well, this was about to become a handful. Sabo glanced outside and saw Terry Gilteo and Raise Max intermingled with the crowd, keeping an eye out on the outside. They'd have to do.

Sabo grabbed his phone and dialed Koala. She picked up on the first ring.

"I've managed to jam their cameras, but they have someone working on restoring the security measures as fast as I try to block them," Koala told him, not waiting to be addressed. "I'm busy. What do you need?"

She was pissed. More than a little, too. Well, that was just too fucking bad. She was going to have to just deal with it right now.

"Send in Terry and Max," Sabo ordered. "I've got to go upstairs and I want to make sure the fort remains held."

"Got it," Koala snapped, disconnecting.

Eyeing the crowd again, Sabo saw the two men break from it and head his way. Glancing down, he took in the man in the trench coat, who he took to be the so-called Captain Nezumi. The man cringed in obvious fear. Disgusting.

"You're coming with me, sucker," Sabo declared, punching the maimed man hard in the head and knocking him out cold. He then hoisted the rat man over his shoulder, planning on using him as collateral if needed. Despite the old man's orders, Sabo just had a feeling that this fucker had to die. He turned to Terry, who had just walked through the shattered doorway.

"Your project is the oncoming circus," Sabo told him, pointing lazily towards the men on the floor. "The dirty pig squadron should be on its way. Let them in and _detain_ them, but keep them breathing."

Terry nodded understanding. Sabo took his burden and headed towards Hack at the stairwell. The fucker was heavy. No way was Sabo going to climb sixteen floors with this shithead over his shoulder. As Sabo approached the stairwell, he started to hear the obvious rabble of men down below.

"Keep them blocked down in the parking garage," Sabo instructed Hack. "I'm going up and I don't want any Fish on my back."

Hack grunted in understanding. Sabo took out his phone again. Koala made him wait five rings before answering.

"What now?" she hissed. "I told you I'm busy!"

"I need an elevator ride to the sixteenth floor," Sabo relayed as the first three promised squad cars arrived. Terry and Max had moved the three wounded officers off to line one of the walls, where Inazuma was keeping an eye on them. "And make sure whoever's left outside covers the parking garage. Let as many of those bastard Fish in as they can, but no one goes out."

"Fine," she huffed. "Blocking the security system was getting tiresome anyway. I'll open individual doors if you want, but keeping them all open and the elevators locked down is too much work with all of this other bullshit you're making me do."

Sabo tuned out her rant and waited at the elevators. After a moment, the door pinged open and Sabo got on and ended his call. He pressed the button marked sixteen and waited for Koala to make the elevator ascend. As he rose, his phone vibrated. Sabo looked down at it incredulously.

Who the hell was calling him right now? Surely not Koala. She was hopping pissed at him and probably didn't want to hear his voice anymore than necessary. Beyond that, there was the Boss, but he was supposed to be down in a restaurant watching the situation. He probably wouldn't call, even if he'd spotted a problem. He'd probably let Sabo try to figure it out on his own. Who else was left? He looked at the caller ID.

Ace.

Of course, he wouldn't know that the proverbial party had started. Sabo answered the call, wondering how he was going to explain the situation to Ace without exciting a panic in his brother. Nothing good came to mind.

"Hey, now's not a good time," Sabo greeted truthfully. "I'm kind of on my way to clean up after Luffy."

"I have a problem," Ace groaned into the phone raspily as a female voice warbled in the background about thinking they were safe for the moment. Sabo felt every hair on his body stand on end.

"What's wrong?" Sabo asked, watching as he passed the third floor.

"I was right; they came for her," Ace grunted. "I didn't think it'd be this soon. I'm in a little over my head. I could use some back up."

In all of their lives together, Ace had never once asked for any type of help. Even when he had clearly needed it. Sabo felt his blood run cold.

"Tell me what you need," Sabo demanded. "I'll make it happen."

"You need a doctor, Ace!" urged the woman's voice in the background. "The bleeding isn't stopping!"

What the hell had happened to him? Sabo watched the seventh floor pass.

"I need someone who can stop a hit man," Ace told him. "Because that's what I'm up against, and I'm losing."

A hit man? Why had a hit man gone after his brother and his girlfriend? Ace had thought maybe a goon or two might show up, but a hit man? Sabo's mind scrambled to come up with a solution. Every man Sabo had at his disposal was engaged in this job, and he was on his way to support Luffy himself. There was no one left. And if he did manage to find someone to send, would it be in time?

"Where are you?" Sabo asked, still mulling out what he could possibly do.

"Shells Town Junior High," Ace replied with a wet sounding gurgle in his voice. Shit, did he have a punctured lung? "In the basement near the boiler room."

"I'll figure out something," Sabo promised Ace, and though it pained him to let go of that line to his brother, he ended the call.

Desperately, Sabo dialed the Boss. When Dragon had put him in charge of this job, Sabo had felt confident. Even when Dragon had told him that he would not assist him in any way, aside from advice. Sabo had doubted he'd need it. He believed it was his time to shine. His time to prove he could handle the responsibility that Dragon had bestowed on him. And that he'd be able to do it without fail.

But this…

"Yes?" Dragon answered, sounding bored.

"I have a problem," Sabo stated in a rush. "A problem I don't know how to fix."

"And that is?"

"My brother is being attacked by a hit man," Sabo rattled off, watching the eleventh floor pass.

"Luffy is in that building with you," Dragon stated calmly. "You cannot find a way to him?"

The question was an insinuation of incompetence, and Sabo felt riled at it. But panic for Ace overrode the irritation for now.

"My other brother," Sabo clarified. "Ace."

Dragon snorted in amusement. That, Sabo could not suppress his anger at. Dragon was not a man who made attachments to people, so Sabo's desire to protect his brothers probably did seem amusing to him, but one of their deaths was not cause for amusement. Hell, Luffy was his own son, for fuck's sake.

"You are otherwise engaged?" Dragon verified. No doubt, from where he sat, Dragon could probably see the others involved with the tasks Sabo had given them.

"I'm on my way to Luffy," Sabo answered. "He's severely out-numbered."

That was a supposition, actually. Sabo didn't know how bad his little brother was fairing against the Fish, but Luffy was just a kid against a room full of yakuza. Maybe Luffy had some of his friends with him, but that was what, three extra people? Four teenage boys against a hundred or two Fish. It was the makings of a slaughter.

"Just what am I supposed to do?" Sabo demanded in a frustrated yell. He was passing the fourteenth floor.

Dragon hummed. "You could abandon your post and go after Ace. As the head of this job, it is within your power to call a fall back and go after him."

"I can't abandon Luffy!" Sabo snapped. Damn it, didn't he feel anything for his own son?

"Those are the only two choices you have," Dragon told him. "Assist Luffy or assist Ace. You must choose which one is the right thing to do. In this situation especially, I cannot choose it for you."

Dragon hung up and Sabo stared desperately at the closed doors of the elevator that were sure to open any moment. What could he do? He couldn't save both of them. Dragon was telling Sabo that he had to make a choice between saving Luffy and saving Ace.

The doors opened on the sixteenth floor.


	18. Chapter Eighteen: Ace

**Chapter Eighteen: Ace**

Life sucked pretty fucking hard most of the time.

Take the last twenty-four hours for example. Ace had found out the sister of his kind-of-but-not-really girlfriend had been forced into the sex trade, he had further been forced to pretty much rape her, to leave her behind to be sold off to some bastard sadist, and to top it all off, he had lost track of his little brother. It sucked harder than the vacuum of space.

And now, he was on his way to face his I-wish-she-was-my-girlfriend-but-I-pretty-much-fucked-that-up-so-now-she-will-hate-me former tutor. Because today wasn't enough of a disaster already, at half past seven in the morning. He was going to go have to explain to Nojiko what was going on. It wasn't going to end well.

The moments after Ace discovered Luffy's departure had been a panicked blur. Ace had futilely ran back down the stairs and out the front door, passing a confused Sabo who was still on the phone with that Koala person, hoping to by some miracle get a glimpse of Luffy's evading figure in the distance. Not a chance. His brother was long gone; probably having left before the conversation between the four of them at the table had finished. Otherwise, Sabo probably would have spotted him trying to sneak out.

As Sabo had asked him what was the matter, Ace had dug his cell phone out of his pocket and began scrolling through the numbers, looking for the phone number of the boy with the long nose. Luffy regularly let the charge on his cell phone die completely out, so it wasn't a rare thing for his little brother to borrow his phone to call his friends. Though Ace didn't have Ussop's cell phone number, just the house phone, he chose Ussop first because he lived the closest.

The phone rang and rang. It took at least twenty rings for someone to pick up, and when they did, it was the sleepy voice of Ussop's mother who answered. Ace somehow knew he was already too late, even as he asked the woman to let him talk to Ussop because it was an emergency.

At the word emergency, Sabo hung up from his own call. He stood toe to toe with Ace and demanded to know what was going on. As Ace waited for Ussop's mother to retrieve the boy, Ace haltingly explained to Sabo that Luffy had taken off. Sabo too looked panicked for a few seconds before recovering his calm demeanor, stating that he would go in and tell the old man and the bastard.

Ace envied his brother's calm as Ussop's mother came back to the phone to tell him what he already suspected: that her son was not in his bed, and that some of his things were missing. She was worried, Ace could tell, but he could give her no reassurances. He promised he'd call her back when he could and hung up, going onto the next candidate.

Zoro didn't have a house phone. Only a cell phone. But the ass hardly ever answered it, even when it was Luffy calling. Today was no different. Ace called three times before giving up and leaving a voicemail that stated to call him as soon as he got it. He then sent a text with pretty much the same message before moving on and calling the final suspect.

Sanji had a cell phone, but he also didn't answer it. Desperate, Ace called the restaurant. He had no idea what time the boy and his chef guardian got there, but it was probably pretty early. Finally, Ace struck pay dirt. Sanji himself answered the phone.

Not surprisingly, since Sanji lived on the other side of East Blue and it had been only probably about fifteen minutes or so since Luffy had taken off, Sanji had not seen any of them yet. Ace instructed him to stay in the restaurant and not leave under any circumstance, to which Sanji replied that he would do his best, but was still his recovering guardian's only means of support. Ace didn't trust the boy to do as told, so when he hung up, he went back inside to talk to the old man.

Garp had looked less than thrilled at his grandson's untimely disappearance, and the bastard looked positively amused. Ace was at his limit, too, and as quickly as he could, informed the old man that both Ussop and Zoro were unaccounted for, and though Sanji was at the restaurant, he would probably not stay there. The old man had gotten on the phone and arranged a detail of men to patrol that area of East Blue, looking for the boys.

It didn't matter; Ace knew where they were headed.

Luffy would head straight back to Arlong Park. Ace knew it as surely as he knew that the sky was blue. Ace practically had to drag Luffy out by his head to get him out of there. And if nothing else, Luffy was loyal to those he loved. He never hesitated to walk headlong into a fight whenever someone he cared about was in the picture. It had caused Sabo and himself quite a few headaches in the past, but it was somewhat endearing to know how precious Luffy held them.

The old man had dismissed Ace's statement that Luffy would return to Arlong Park. Where Ace thought the old man was underestimating, the old man thought Ace was overestimating Luffy. Though Luffy had found the place (completely by accident) and found his friend (again, completely by accident), Luffy would not be able to get himself into the stronghold during the day (as per the rules, Mermaids were only available after two o'clock in the afternoon), and therefore, they had nothing to worry about until later in the day. By then, Luffy would be found.

Ace hadn't been so sure. Luffy was not on his own. He undoubtedly had two of his friends with him, possibly three if Sanji took off. Luffy could be rash, but his friends complimented him well. Ussop was a coward who would be Luffy's caution, Zoro would be his strength, and Sanji would be his rationale. True, they didn't have much for brains between them, but Ace didn't doubt that they would find a way into that building if they wanted to.

So Ace had no choice but to go after his little brother on his own. And yesterday had proved how good he was at that. He'd been two steps behind Luffy all day until the boy had come home on his own. If it hadn't been for wanting food, Ace would have never been able to go with Luffy. Still, as much concern as Ace had for his little brother, in the back of his mind, needling him, was the thought of Nojiko.

He had known she would be at home, on her own and completely at risk when something went down at Arlong Park. Ace was completely at a loss of what to do. He had to go after his brother (since it appeared that the old man didn't care) and he had to protect Nojiko. But he couldn't do both at the same time.

The old man agreed at least that Nojiko could be at risk if left on her own. He had suggested that Ace retrieve the girl and bring her to the station for when the plan went down, seeing as their mother would be in the hands of Smoker and likely end up there herself. But Ace was torn about whom to go after first: Nojiko or Luffy.

Sabo stepped in and became Ace's momentary hero. Sabo had told Ace to go after his girlfriend (though the ass couldn't stop smiling with that shit-eating grin on his face as he said it) while he took care of Luffy. So Ace had done just that after a quick clothes change and was now on his way over to Nojiko's.

He knew he should be in a hurry to get to her, but each step on the familiar path that brought him closer to Nojiko's house had him slowing down until he was at a crawl. He would have to explain things to Nojiko. Things he didn't even want to think about right now.

Not to mention, he was dragging ass from not having slept in over a day. The distance he probably could have covered in a mere forty-five minutes took him twice as long to reach. It was eight o'clock when he walked up to Nojiko's doorstep and rang the bell.

Nojiko, having probably not been expecting anyone, took a bit of time to answer the door. When she opened it and spied him, her face broke into a huge smile before turning slightly pink and averting her eyes. She looked so demure that it took Ace by surprise for a moment.

"Hey," she greeted anticlimactically.

"Hey," he responded with equal verve. "I hope it isn't a bad time."

"No, it isn't," she assured him, opening the door further and gesturing for him to enter. "I was just going through the fliers to get rid of the ones that were blurry."

Ace kicked off his shoes as he entered, noting that despite what she said, she was still in her pajamas. Nojiko led him into the living room and over to the couch where she promptly sat down and leaned over the coffee table, resuming sorting through the fliers. Somewhat reluctantly, Ace sat down next to her. Silence filled the room to a stifling level as the first minute passed by.

Why were things so awkward? He hadn't even told her anything yet. And then he remembered. Just a scant twenty-four hours ago, he'd up and kissed her for the first time. He forgot that he was the one who had created the awkward situation. That meant he had to be the one to fix it. He'd have to speak first.

"Your mom's already left for the office?" Ace guessed, noting the quietness of the house despite the early hour.

"Yeah," Nojiko affirmed. "She got a call from Smoker at the damn crack of dawn and was out of the house in like ten minutes. I didn't even get to talk to her; she was in such a hurry."

Well, then Smoker had let the cat out of the bag, to her mother at least. No point in delaying the inevitable.

"Noji, I have to tell you something," Ace began, grimacing. Already, he sounded like a moron. Nojiko turned to look at him for a moment but didn't stop sorting fliers. Ace stilled her hands and turned to face her on the couch, pulling on her arms until she did the same.

"What is it?" Nojiko asked tepidly. Ace grimaced again. Okay, looking into her eyes was a bad idea. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, he stared at their joined hands in between them.

"Last night, I…" he trailed off. Damn it, he couldn't get the words out. He swallowed hard. "Last night, I followed my brother around like I told you I would. He went somewhere that I wasn't expecting."

"Not a strip club?" Nojiko guessed. Ace had been occasionally confiding in Nojiko his worries about Luffy. He hadn't specifically said strip club, but it seemed that she had come to the same conclusion on her own based on his descriptions.

"No, not a strip club," Ace confirmed. "Somewhere much worse. He went to Arlong Park. Do you know what that is?"

Nojiko looked worried, but not horrified, so he guessed she didn't. When she shook her head no, he sighed heavily. She really had no clue, did she?

"It's a yakuza stronghold," Ace told her. Nojiko's eyes nearly bugged out. She opened her mouth to speak, probably to exclaim at the absurdity of Luffy wandering into such a place, but Ace cut her off. "I—or rather we, I suppose, Luffy and I found your sister there."

It wasn't the whole truth, but it wasn't a lie either. Ace just neglected to mention that Luffy had found her there probably three weeks ago, since he didn't want to invoke her ire on the matter. Nami had admittedly urged Luffy not to tell anyone of her whereabouts, and though Luffy shouldn't have listened, he'd kept her secret. Luffy's devotion to the people he loved was something that Ace suspected Nojiko wouldn't understand at first.

It was then that Ace noticed the silence. Nojiko had not uttered a word. Glancing up at her, she was not surprisingly in tears. She also looked torn between being relieved and angry. Her hands clutching his began to wring them and without warning, she launched herself at him.

Her arms encircled his neck and she buried her face in his neck, finally letting out a chocked sob. Startled, Ace didn't know what to do at first. After a moment, he finally put his own arms around her as she hiccupped her way through an explanation of how happy she was. Looks like relief won out after all.

"Where is she?" Nojiko asked between sobs. "Is that where Belle-mere went? To pick her up? Damn it, she should have taken me with her!"

Ace grimaced again. "It's not that simple, Noji. We found her, but we couldn't take her back."

Gradually, the arms around his neck loosened until she could sit back (albeit still in his lap) and look him in the eyes. It was as bad as he expected. Though he could see the gratefulness in her eyes, he could see the accusation at leaving Nami behind there too.

"What's going on?" she asked, seeming to take in the full seriousness of the situation.

"She's being held at Arlong Park," Ace explained. "Like I said, it's a yakuza stronghold. Luffy and I were able to see her, but not take her back. But it's going to be okay. I promise. I've already talked to the old man and tonight we're going in to bust her out—"

"We?" Nojiko repeated, interrupting him.

"It's complicated," Ace summed up. "But it's going to be fine. I promise. You're right; Smoker probably called to fill your mother in on the situation. He's gonna keep her with him until this goes down, then she's going to the old man's station. Just like you."

The confusion in her eyes told him she didn't know why she had to go to the police station.

"The yakuza," Ace clarified. "They're keeping her there using the threat against yours and your mother's lives. When we go in there, there's a high probability that they will retaliate by going after your lives."

Nojiko looked ill, but given the rigmarole of emotions she'd been through in the last few minutes it wasn't surprising. He watched a myriad of emotions cross her face as she digested the new information. Finally, she wiped the mostly dwindled tears from her eyes and looked seriously at him.

"Tell me everything," she insisted. "Start with when you found her."

Ace blanched for a moment before he told himself to grow a pair and do it. He had to. It was only fair for her to know, even if she hated him after.

"At first, I didn't know it was her," Ace admitted, recalling the previous evening. It seemed like so long ago now. "I'd never heard her voice before. But then I saw her. She looked exactly like her picture on the flier."

Ace paused as they both looked down at the fliers where Nami's face prevailed.

"She was scared to see me," Ace recalled. "She panicked for a minute I think. But I made her calm down and explain to me what was happening. She said she'd sold herself off to keep you and your mother safe."

Nojiko looked disbelieving. Completely and utterly doubtful of such a necessity, as Ace had been at first.

"She was holding the position of—of a Mermaid," Ace stuttered. Again, he could not meet her eyes. "That was bad enough, but she said she'd been sold off to someone. We knew we had to—"

"A Mermaid? What?" Nojiko interrupted, furious. "What the hell is that? And what do you mean, 'sold off?' She's not a fucking slave!"

Ace waited for her outburst to settle. Not that it would do any good. As soon as he explained what a Mermaid was, Ace had a feeling she was going to go ballistic.

"A Mermaid is the title used by someone in Arlong Park who has been made a—a call girl," Ace defined, stumbling because he didn't think he could manage to call Nami a whore or prostitute. "She was for sale every night, but that wasn't just it. She was also apparently available to be permanently sold off."

Not surprisingly, Nojiko did not take the information well. She wrestled herself from his lap violently, angered by him even though he was just the messenger. She stomped fiercely across the spanse of the living room, unable to form coherent words. She only managed to spit out one or two in frustration occasionally, like Mermaid, call girl, and ridiculous.

"We tried to out bid her buyer, to get her out of there last night," Ace went on, since it didn't matter if she calmed down; she would only likely continue to get angrier. "We didn't succeed. So this morning I went to the old man and we came up with a plan to get her back."

He'd completely chickened out. He completely skipped the most vital thing he needed to tell her. He should just get it out now, while she was already angry. She would be even more livid if she thought he was deliberately keeping it from her.

"I can't—I can't even think right now!" Nojiko shouted, taken up to kicking random things about the room. A stack of now useless fliers went flying about in the air. "She—I can't believe Nami! How could she do something so stupid! That girl! I want to wring her damn neck! I might just do that, the moment I see her!"

Well, now he wasn't going to get a word in edgewise. He sat pathetically on the couch listening to her rage on about the absurdity of the matter until he heard a funny sound. He looked up to see her tear stricken face, starting to get choked up on sobs. She was still pacing about in an agitated manor, though no longer kicking things.

"Why? Why would she do such a thing?" Nojiko lamented. "To resort to—to doing that—it's not okay! She's only sixteen years old! She shouldn't have done something like that! She should have—have gone to Smoker, or—or, I don't know."

The ranting finally came to an end and so did the pacing. Nojiko simply stood in the middle of the room and buried her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably. It was instinct that got Ace to stand from his prone position on the couch and go to her. He encompassed her in his arms before he even thought of the possibility that she may not want him. But she did not push him away and he continued to hold her until the sobs quelled from frequent to sporadic.

"Does my mother know?" Nojiko asked from within the confines of her hands and his arms. Ace debated.

"Probably," he guessed. Smoker likely wouldn't hold anything back from her.

"She's going to be so upset," Nojiko predicted, freeing her face from her hands and resting her cheek on his shoulder. "She's going to blame herself."

"Probably," Ace repeated. What parent wouldn't? Well, maybe the bastard Sabo worked for wouldn't, but he was in a league of his own.

Nojiko raised her head from his shoulder and looked him in the eyes. Fuck. Even tear stained, her face was beautiful. Damn it, he was starting to think like a Hallmark card.

"Thank you for finding my sister," she said, and leaned close.

She kissed him. It was a little like the short kiss he had given her yesterday at first, but it quickly evolved. Soon her mouth was open and her tongue was grazing his lips and before he could stop himself, he had launched himself into a full blown, heavily charged make out session.

It was probably his body's natural reaction to become aroused by it, but the moment he got hard, Ace felt nauseous. He broke from the kiss abruptly and pulled away, sitting back down on the couch and fisting his hands in his hair, pulling on it in frustration.

"Damn it," he growled. "I can't do this."

Oblivious to what was bothering him, Nojiko stood stunned in the middle of the floor. She watched him for a moment before she sat down next to him on the couch again.

"Sorry," she huffed. "I guess I misunderstood yesterday."

"No, you didn't," Ace snapped. "I'm just—I can't—look, I can't do this with you because I haven't told you everything."

Silence for a half a minute.

"Okay," Nojiko finally relented, though she still sounded irritated. "Then tell me everything."

"I don't want to," he denied petulantly. Another half minute of silence.

"Care to explain why?" Nojiko prompted.

"Because you're going to hate me," Ace predicted. "You're going to loathe my existence. You're going to tell me to get the hell out of your house and the fuck out of your life and I'm way too selfish to let that happen right now."

The silence lasted for over a minute this time.

"I highly doubt that," Nojiko finally spoke. "You've spent weeks trying to help me find my sister. You actually found her last night. You organized a plan to get her back from the bastards that have her. And you're pretty fucking sexy to boot. I highly doubt I'm going to tell you to get lost anytime soon."

"You're wrong," he muttered, though he wished that his good deeds could somehow outweigh the bad one.

"How about I promise you that I won't," Nojiko offered. Ace shook his head minisculely.

"You'd break that promise," he assured her. Anger came back to Nojiko's voice.

"And what makes you think you know what I'm going to do?" she demanded.

"Because I fucked your sister!" Ace shouted at her. He took one look at her face and knew he had been right. She looked shocked mostly, but under that she looked confused and hurt.

"You—you—" she tried to say, but words failed her.

"I fucked her. Last night," Ace repeated, going back to pulling out his hair. It wasn't enough, though. He hated himself so much at that moment that he felt like he needed something else to cause him pain. To give him some sort of punishment. Because it was what he deserved.

"Explain," Nojiko demanded, her voice hoarse and sounding close to tears again. But he couldn't look at her. He didn't want to see how much she hated him at that moment.

"I told you, she's a call girl," Ace reiterated. "Luffy and I went to see her, not knowing that was what she was. We only intended to get her out of there, but her boss—er, the yakuza boss, Arlong, he came in and demanded that we—that we do the services while he watched."

Why was he trying to be so politically correct all of a sudden? Hadn't he already stated it plainly for her? That he'd fucked Nami.

"That bastard!" Ace spat. "He watched. He stayed and watched the whole time! I didn't want to do it, and neither did she, but if we didn't he'd have killed us right there. We—I—"

He had his eyes shut tightly as he bent over his knees, his hands pulling at his hair until it relented. He jerked suddenly when he felt her hand brush against his face. He tried to pull away, but she had grabbed hold of him and was pulling him towards her. He felt her hand brush against his cheek again and he finally opened his eyes, watching her wet hand draw away. Wet?

His hands gave up their grip on his hair and he rubbed his face, feeling the wetness there. Fuck, was he crying? Damn it, how fucking pathetic was he? Crying over this? Really? Could he be any more disgusting?

"It's okay," Nojiko told him, though she didn't sound okay at all herself. "I get it; you didn't want to do it."

"It's not okay," he denied, wanting to pull away from her but also not wanting to. Plus, he was so damned tired. Exhausted beyond reason. He tried to get out another denial, but before it completely passed his lips he fell asleep.

.o0o.

It was the doorbell that woke him later. Very groggily, he felt the couch beneath him shift and he rolled off of it only to discover it hadn't been the couch beneath him, but Nojiko. He stared blankly at her for a moment, taking in the pained expression she held even in her sleep before shaking the sleep from his head and recalling his last conversation with her.

Right. He'd pretty much raped her little sister.

Abruptly, he wanted to leave. He didn't want to be the cause of that expression, and he knew he was. Almost drunkenly, he stumbled out of the living room and towards the front door where his shoes were. He was halfway through putting them on when the doorbell rang again.

Oh yeah. That had gone off, hadn't it?

Ace forwent tying his shoes and shuffled to the door. His hand was on the handle when his purpose came back to him. He was at Nojiko's house for a reason. He was supposed to take her to the station to be in the protection of the old man's men. A little lost, Ace dug his phone from his pocket and lit the front screen, displaying the time. It was almost one o'clock. He'd been asleep for probably about four hours then.

The doorbell went off a third time and Ace yanked the door open, irritated by the insistent person on the other side. With sleepy eyes, Ace glared at the newcomer. He was a fairly tall man with dark hair and a goatee, looking very inappropriately dressed for the summer season in a full length red coat.

"Can I help you?" Ace grumbled, barely able to feign politeness. Sleep had just made him more tired and he wanted nothing more than to go back to the couch and knock out for a couple more hours. He wouldn't, since as soon as he got rid of this asshole he was going to wake Nojiko, take her to the police station and then head over to meet up with Sabo over at Arlong Park.

The man who somehow didn't appear to be sweating at all under such heavy clothes glanced back at the number on the house before returning his gaze to him. He put his hand inside of his coat and pulled something from an inside pocket. Ace blinked blearily at the two pictures that were held out to him.

"I am seeking these two," the man stated. "I understood that they lived here."

For all the lack of sleep that Ace had, he wasn't so far gone that he didn't recognize the uneasy feeling that rippled through him. There was something very wrong with the situation. An unknown man seeking Belle and Nojiko, though he clearly didn't know them himself.

"Who're you?" Ace asked. In his mind, Ace went through the possible answers. It was entirely possible that the old man had sent a plain clothes officer to Belle and Nojiko's house. All of the officers the old man was using today were specifically told not to wear uniforms. But still, something wasn't right.

"Hired help," the man stated, putting the photos back in his inner jacket pocket. "You?"

Ace instinctively lied. "New tenant. Been here a month. There was a woman and two girls here before me. You must have an old address."

The man did not look convinced.

"Look," Ace huffed, pointing to a house at the end of the block. "The landlord lives there. Maybe he can give you a current address. The point is, you're in the wrong place. Now piss off so I can go back to bed."

The man raised his eyebrow in response. His gaze dipped to the ground where Ace's untied shoes were on his feet. His gaze then strayed further into the house, where a pair of women's sandals were clearly visible.

Fuck.

Ace could still dismiss this away. It wasn't unreasonable for a guy like him to have a girlfriend living with him. He just had to pray that Nojiko didn't—

"Ace? Who's at the door?"

Damn it! Ace had to get rid of this bastard quickly before she came out into the hallway into view.

"Some guy looking for the old tenants, I think," Ace called back. "You know, the one's that lived here before us?"

Please, Nojiko. Please. Stay in the living room.

"Before us?"

"Yeah," Ace went on. "You know, the ones that moved out when one of the daughters got kidnapped?"

There was a long pause.

"The landlord probably has their new address."

Thank you Nojiko!

"I see," the man said, glancing at the number on the house again before turning away. "Pardon the intrusion."

"Hope you find them," Ace returned. He shut the door, locking it, and grabbed Nojiko's sandals, speeding into the living room. He tossed the sandals at her as he bent over to tie his shoes.

"What—" she began in a whisper, but Ace shook his head at her. She donned her sandals and he took her hand, leading her back out into the hallway.

"Clever boy."

Ace froze, staring at the man in the red coat who was now standing in the doorway, the front door somehow open even though he had locked it. In the man's hand was a long, curved sword, its handle resembling that of a crucifix.

In that moment, Ace knew his instinct to evade had been right: this man was here to kill them.


	19. Chapter Nineteen: Ace

**Chapter Nineteen: Ace**

Ace knew the only thing that was saving his and Nojiko's life at the moment was the fact that they were in a skinny hallway that fed off of the entryway. That long, scary looking sword was way too big to be swung in this size area. But the man could use it to jab at them, and was pretty quick in doing so.

Ace had put himself in between the wannabe killer and Nojiko, and was backing her up further into the house her family lived in. His goal was to get them, or at least Nojiko, outside so she could make a run for it. Nojiko had at one time been on the school's track team (somehow fitting that in along with tutoring and an after school part time job) but since Nami had gone missing, she had dropped out of the club to search for her sister.

If Ace got her outside, she could run to the train station and board it probably before the sword wielding thug could catch up to her. Because Ace sure as fuck wasn't going to let the bastard near her while he was alive. It wasn't atonement, per se, to give up his life to make sure Nojiko was safe; it was love.

He might die in the next few minutes, so why not admit it? He loved her. Those shitty feelings had snuck up on him and got their claws into him while he wasn't paying attention. And the idea of Nojiko dead and still and cold on an autopsy table somewhere burned and stabbed deep in his chest more painfully than any wound he could possibly receive ever would.

On that thought, the stabs of the sword were getting very tricky to avoid. The bastard was quick, and after every stab he would swing the sword slightly in a miniature slash at them. Ace had never been so grateful to have spent his early years running around doing parkour with Sabo in their attempts to ditch Luffy. They were hardly ever successful at ditching him though; Luffy was actually better at parkour than either of his brothers.

But still, good or not, parkour was saving his life at the moment.

He jumped and spun and skirted out of the way of the blade rather agilely, while simultaneously racking his brain for how to delay the killer long enough for Nojiko to get away. Because once they got outside, that blade was going to be able to be swung freely and Ace doubted he would last long. Not that he thought he was going to last very long in the house either. Just longer inside.

Or maybe not…

There was one huge fault to Ace's assumptions, he realized quite suddenly. The man in the red coat pulled the blade back to himself and, despite the tiny area, made a large swing with the sword. The blade tore through the ceiling like it was made of cardboard, not wooden joints, floorboards, and plaster. It arced down on them way to close for comfort and though it missed them (barely), it cut through the floor just as easily as the ceiling.

The power behind the man's swing and the sharpness of the blade had changed the game; it was even more dangerous. Seeing that the man was not limited by the smallness of the space, Ace made a snap decision.

"Cardio!" he called out, hoping Nojiko understood the insinuation. She'd told him back when she was still in track that for cardio exercises, she would run up and down the stairs.

The stomping of feet headed up stairs told him she did get his message. Ace backed past the stairs further down the hall, wondering who the man would follow. Not that Ace knew what he was going to do if the killer followed Nojiko. Ace doubted there was an unprotected area on that man's body, despite how vulnerable it may look to the eye. The man gave a brief glance up the stairs before his eyes focused on Ace again, taking a step towards him. Good.

"Technically, she is the primary objective, but her end is to be slow and lengthy," the man stated calmly, not even breathing hard from the exertion of handling his sword. "Yours does not have to be. And I do not need the nuisance of the authorities butting in while I do my job. So if you don't mind, I shall dispose of you first."

"Nope, not at all," Ace answered. "Just curious though, how much is Arlong paying you for this?"

The man swung sideways abruptly, and to avoid, Ace had to duck into the master bedroom. Well, it was fine. This room would do either way.

"Ten million," the man replied in that frustratingly calm way of his as he attacked. He wasn't winded in the least. Nor did he appear surprised that Ace knew who his employer was. "Plus expenses for witness elimination and slow torture. Probably twenty million when all is said and done."

"You're getting screwed," Ace told him, leaping over the bed. "We paid Arlong a hundred and four million this morning to keep her alive."

The man narrowed his eyes slightly and Ace took the man's moment of pondering to do something that went against the grain: he turned his back on him. With all the strength he had in his legs, he leapt towards the window, bracing his forearms over his head to protect it on impact.

The glass did shatter, but his forceful jump did not manage to get his whole body out of the window. He was halfway out and trying to wiggle his lower half out when the blade connected.

"Fuck!" he screamed, falling the rest of the way out of the window limply in pain. He hit the ground of the gated back yard jarringly and his eyes sought out his leg to take stock. It felt like his leg had been cut off.

The right thigh was deeply slashed and bleeding like crazy, but still attached. But in all seriousness, did the killer hit an artery? There was so much blood for only three seconds to pass.

Ace rolled sharply to the left, feeling the grind of broken glass digging into his skin and barely missing the impact of the blade. It sunk deep into the ground as Ace scrambled on glass to try and get himself moving.

His right leg was hardly moving at all. It was dragging him down; literally. Ace felt another stabbing pain, this time in his left leg, and saw as he stumbled to the ground that there was a short throwing knife in his calf. He was completely immobilized now.

The man in the red coat was easing himself out the window and had his hand on his sword again. Feet planted firmly on the ground, the man easily pulled the blade free of the soil and eyed it briefly for damage before setting his eyes on Ace again.

Well, this was it then. Eighteen years of misbehaving along with the world's best brothers. Pretty fucking good, he had to admit. Plus these last couple months with Nojiko...

He was so glad he'd kissed her. No regrets.

Well, one.

Nami. He hadn't saved her. And he wasn't doing too hot at attempting to save her sister either.

He thought of Nami, and everything he knew she'd been through, as well as the things he suspected she'd lived through. And yet somehow, she had never given up. Always doing something to save or protect those she held dear.

And he was going to give up now just because he had a couple wounds in his legs? Was he really that weak?

No. He refused to be that weak. He was going to be strong for her. For which _her,_ Nojiko or Nami, he didn't know. Probably for both.

He reached for the knife I his calf and pulled it painstakingly from his leg. With his legs incapacitated, parkour wasn't all that helpful anymore. Best he could do was drag himself around. So he was going to do as much damage as he could with the thin blade.

The assassin smirked at him, raising his sword above his head. Ace searched the man for his weakest point. Probably a leg. Not a bad idea to injure it, especially if he wanted Nojiko to make a run for it.

Nojiko. She must still be hiding upstairs. She needed to get out of the house now. How could he tell her to run to the train station without the man knowing that's where he was sending her? He couldn't think of one. Well, at least, he could create some confusion on her final destination.

"Noji!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. "Go to the old man! He's at the Baratie!"

With a little luck, the hit man wouldn't know what the Baratie was. And Nojiko would remember that he'd told her that the old man was at the station.

He had no luck.

Nojiko didn't leave the house; she opened the window on the second floor and stuck her head out to survey them. Her eyes widened at the sight.

The man swung his sword and Ace rolled to the side again. It didn't work. He was sliced in the flank, up high near the ribs. Ace let out a gargled cry and wrenched his body around. He swung the knife in an arc towards the man's leg but the knife was easily kicked from his grip. The man was over him once more and Ace took what was likely to be his last breath.

The muted crack was an alien sound that Ace wasn't expecting to hear. He was pretty sure getting stabbed through the abdomen sounded a lot...wetter.

The hit man dropped the sword and fell to the ground himself, groaning and clutching his head. Ace saw blood dripping down from him. In the split second it took for Ace to look up, a dumbbell fell onto the hit man again, though not clocking his head. It hit him in the shoulder as Ace watched Nojiko jump from the second story down to him and grabbed his arm.

The hit man was incapacitated for the moment, but Ace knew that he did not have the ability anymore to pick up the sword and kill the hit man (he was starting to get dizzy from blood loss) and he didn't think Nojiko would have the mental strength to kill someone, even if they were there to kill her. Worse still, they both would not make a clean get away. For one, Ace would bleed a trail that led right to them.

"Go without me," he commanded, even as Nojiko pulled him along with her. "I can barely move. Go! Just go!"

Nojiko gave him a look that was a combo of distress and fury. She yanked him along again and pulled him to the gate and hastily unlocked it. She shoved him through and hesitated before running back towards the hit man.

"Noji!" Ace cried, watching the hit man carefully. He was starting to get his bearings back. Nojiko grabbed the long sword and stumbled a bit at its weight. Was she really going to kill the man? No, she was dragging it towards the gate and himself.

"Bike," she huffed, pointing to the chained bike that was along side of the house. He angled himself and tried hobbling towards it. He could barely move and mostly fell in its direction.

Nojiko leaned the sword against the house and worked on unchaining the bike while Ace dragged himself the rest of the way toward it.

"Get on," she commanded, hauling him up so he could sit on the seat. "I'll push; you steer and hold the sword."

Nojiko still had her mind straight it seemed. She was going to get them both out of there, rather efficiently too. Ace did his best to hold both his balance and the sword, but it was difficult to do both and steer. The bike wobbled quite a bit as Nojiko laboriously pushed it.

"Downhill," he recommended for a direction. It was the opposite way of the train station, but as long as they got away...

It was stumbling and awkward for the first few seconds but finally, Nojiko got them both moving and even up to a jog. She headed for a downhill slope like he'd told her and soon she was flat out running to keep up.

The problem was that Ace could hardly steer at all at such a high speed. He braked a bit but the bike shuddered and he almost lost his balance. He took stock of his surroundings and realized he had no idea where he was. He didn't know which way to turn, even if he could.

"Bear right!" Nojiko called from behind him. He heeded her word. This was her neighborhood. He did his best to turn right and ended up barreling towards a locked school gate. He grabbed the brake desperately and began to wobble fiercely. Luckily, Nojiko caught up to him and grabbed the back of the seat of the bike and helped steady and pull him to a stop. Ace did drop the sword, though. It crashed to the blacktop loudly.

Nojiko was already picking the blade back up. She handed it back to him and readjusted the handle bars to began pushing him again around the side of the school. He was leaving a pretty clear blood trail at this point but there was nothing to be done. She pushed him to a maintenance entrance and keyed in a code to let them in.

"I can't believe that I'm breaking into my old school," Nojiko murmured, still huffing. She pushed Ace through the entrance and closed it. "What would Nami say if she could see me now?"

Ace thought it would be something along the lines of "you guys get away while I distract him," but he didn't say that. In fact, he was having a hard time not falling over. He was dizzy. Very dizzy. He wanted to help Nojiko and not make her do all the work with lugging him around, but he was fighting to stay conscious.

"'That's my sister'," Ace muttered, only realizing he'd spoken aloud when Nojiko chuckled.

"Probably," she relented.

They ditched the bike near a shed that Nojiko called the maintenance shed. She left him there for a moment while she dragged the sword off somewhere else. It was the longest ninety-six seconds of his life waiting for her to come back.

"Stay with me, Ace," she instructed him. She pulled him up and dragged him rather slowly towards the school itself. Where she still had energy coming from, Ace had no idea. She had to be exhausted. "Keep conscious."

It was hard. He just wanted to sleep. But if he fell asleep, he would never be able to protect Nojiko. Not that he was doing so now.

"We just need to get into the school," Nojiko was telling him. "We'll go to the boiler room. We can lock the door from the inside and the walls are six inches of concrete. The door's metal. Really thick. It will take him some time to find his sword and longer to get into the boiler room. We'll have to think of something by then."

Ace was already thinking of something. There was only one thing left he could do. He felt his shorts pocket for his phone and prayed it still had some juice left. He had charged it a little that morning, but he had only managed to get it to about fifty percent. It had been about five hours since then and the battery was questionable.

They trudged down stairs very poorly, and Ace fell down the last six steps. It was no use; he couldn't even help move himself anymore. Nojiko dragged his mostly limp body to the boiler room. It was a good choice. The door was solid and sturdy metal as Nojiko had promised.

Ace fished out his phone. He lit the front screen and saw that he had about thirty percent of his battery left, but almost no signal. He'd have to make this call before they went in the boiler room.

"There's so much blood," Nojiko whined, looking over him. She stripped out of her sweatpants and tore them in half. She wrapped a fabric leg around each of the wounds on his legs. She stripped Ace out of his shirt as he dialed Sabo. It rang four times.

"Hey, now's not a good time," Sabo greeted him rather distractedly. "I'm kind of on my way to clean up after Luffy."

Luffy? Ace had forgotten about his little brother briefly. No doubt, Ace had been right and Luffy was probably causing a ruckus.

"I have a problem," Ace groaned into the phone as Nojiko pressed his shirt against his side to staunch the blood from that wound.

"We'll probably be safe for a minute, tops," she predicted. "He'll be able to follow us by the blood trail though."

Yeah, Ace figured that too. This would have to be a quick call.

"What's wrong?" Sabo asked, his voice sounding hard but not quite as controlled as he had earlier.

"I was right; they came for her," Ace grunted. "I didn't think it'd be this soon. I'm in a little over my head. I could use some back up."

There was a short, tense pause.

"Tell me what you need," Sabo demanded. "I'll make it happen."

"You need a doctor, Ace!" Nojiko hissed in a whisper. "The bleeding isn't stopping!"

Yep, Ace knew that too. He could taste blood in his mouth and was pretty sure that the long sword had nicked him in the lung.

"I need someone who can stop a hit man," Ace told him. "Because that's what I'm up against, and I'm losing."

There was a second of hesitation. "Where are you?"

"Shells Town Junior High," Ace replied, remembering the name on the sign outside the school. "In the basement near the boiler room."

"I'll figure out something," Sabo promised, and the line went dead.

"We gotta move," Nojiko whispered, but the look on her face showed that she didn't want to. Ace threw a look at the distance between himself and the boiler room. A good ten feet. He knew he wouldn't make it.

"Go ahead and leave me," Ace told her.

"Fuck you," she growled at him and the tears of panic that she'd been concealing very well finally escaped her. "I won't! I refuse!"

"Noji," he reasoned as she began dragging him again, "I'm not going to make it either way. If you drag me in there, I'm gonna still bleed to death before anyone can get to us."

She neither stopped crying nor stopped dragging him. She didn't acknowledge him at all.

"Do you want to live through that?" he asked. "Being trapped in there with me while I die?"

"You're not going to die," she retorted through sobs. She'd gotten him mostly into the boiler room by then.

"I am," he insisted. The only thing left he could do was guilt-trip her. "You want me to suffer through that? A slow death? The hit man would be more merciful."

She grimaced in pain and he hated himself for doing it to her. But her odds were better without him at this point.

"I'm selfish too," she told him, bursting into fresh tears. "I can't leave you out there for him. I can't leave you at all. So I'm sorry, but you're going to die in here, with me, because I can't let you go."

She closed the boiler room door and threw the old, heavy locks into place. A single, tiny bulb glowed above them as Nojiko came back to him and pulled his head into her lap while she firmly held his shirt in place at his side.

It was quiet. And warm. The stairwell down to the boiler room had been cool, but this room was warm. Plus there was Nojiko, holding him, running one hand through his messy hair.

This, in retrospect, was not a bad place to die.

.o0o.

Somehow, he was still alive.

Ace couldn't fathom how it was possible. How hadn't he bled to death yet? Seriously. And the pain, it was almost overwhelming. Just almost. Not completely.

Because he could still hear the distinctive _clang_ of metal against metal that reverberated loudly throughout the boiler room. Ace immediately knew what the sound was: the hit man had found his sword and followed the trail of blood to them to the boiler room. He was now trying to hack his way through the door.

"Do you know what today is?" Nojiko asked quietly between the clangs.

Ace turned his head a bit and looked up at her. She was staring at the door, in one of the upper corners. Ace peeked at it as well and saw that it must be wear the murderer was focusing his attacks. It was starting to bend inward slightly.

Ace glanced back at Nojiko and saw that she had calmed out of her panicked crying and had fallen into silent tears. She looked down at him and smiled slightly. Bedraggled, tear streaked, and heartbroken, it was still the most beautiful face he had ever seen.

"July second—no third, I guess," he gargled out, wincing as he took a breath to speak. It hurt like crazy, but not as bad as before.

"July third," Nojiko nodded, confirming. "It's Nami's seventeenth birthday."

That…sucked so bad. So fucking bad. Nami was being sold off to a sadist and would have her sister be killed (Ace knew he was going to die anyway, with or without a hit man, so he didn't count himself) on her birthday.

"When's your birthday?" Ace asked, wanting to know before he died. He wanted to know every single thing about her all of a sudden. It seemed like his purpose in life was to meet her and now that he had, he wanted to know as much about her as he could ever learn.

"March eighteenth," she replied, looking up at the corner of the door again. "You missed it."

"Sorry," he apologized, because he truly was sorry. He'd wanted to spend at least one birthday with her.

"S'alright," she shrugged. "You can make up for it next year."

She looked down and smiled brilliantly at him. Pain seared through his chest, but it had nothing to do with the wound near his ribs. She was still deluding herself into thinking he'd survive this. Ace hoped feverously that Sabo would somehow come through and find a way to save Nojiko, but he was sure he'd never make it.

"You're not going to die of blood loss, Ace," Nojiko told him again, but this time, it wasn't yelled out of desperation and panic. She was utterly sure that he was going to be fine. His confusion must have read on his face.

"While you were passed out," Nojiko explained, "I took some time to rebandage your legs and side wound. Your legs are bound up pretty tightly since those wounds were deep, and your side wound…"

She trailed off and looked at his side. Ace tried to see himself but he wasn't at the angle to do so.

"That's the one that bothers me most, even though it's not too deep," Nojiko went on. "You had—well, probably still have blood in your lung and it was causing you difficulties breathing. I shifted you so the blood would hopefully leak out instead of go into your lung, and it sort of got better for awhile, but now I'm afraid you're losing too much blood."

Ace had thought that about two pints ago, but he didn't figure it helped to mention that. The clanging sound had become suddenly louder as the top hinge of the door was split through and the large metal door creaked and began leaning inward. Ace could now see the tip of the blade pass through the crack in the seam of the door and slide downward.

"What are we gonna do when he busts through?" Ace asked, feeling the weight of the reality that neither of them were going to survive crash down on him. It was a heavy, suffocating feeling. Sabo wasn't going to come through for him.

"Be like Nami," Nojiko answered calmly. "Face whatever it is head on and unafraid."

Ace looked up at Nojiko and saw that the tears were still coming. Nojiko wasn't deluding herself like he'd assumed; she had awhile ago come to the same conclusion as Ace had. They were both going to die. But somewhere in Ace's bout of unconsciousness, she had come to terms with that reality and decided on her current path: face it like Nami.

Sounded good to him.

He adjusted his resolve to match Nojiko's just in time for the door hinges to be cut through and with a deep _boom_ sound, the door fell inwards towards them, useless. The hit man, surprisingly, did not look angry at them. In fact, he looked rather satisfied. Ace attributed it to the fact that he'd finally gotten to them and they no longer had any place to go.

"I must say, this has been quite entertaining," the hit man said, sounding amused. "I haven't worked this hard on a job in many years. Almost a decade I think. I usually don't agree to kill minors unless they happen to become witnesses and I have no choice, but I think I miss the thrill of the chase. Children have so much more ingenuity than adults. You both gave me quite the work out. And the head ache."

He ran his finger across the side of his head, wiping away some still flowing blood.

"I think I will have to charge more for this kill," the man went on. "Maybe…a hundred and four million, was it?"

"Gouge the fucker," Ace spat out, half choking on some blood. It was very clear that Nojiko's solution for keeping the blood out of his lung was not really that effective anymore. "Make him pay you every penny."

"Such kind words from a kill," the man mused. "Tell me, where does this rationality at one's own impending death come from?"

"The fucker deserves to die," Ace said. "And if he ain't gonna die today, then he should at least pay through his long, saw shark-looking nose."

The moment was ruined by a chirping song coming from Ace's phone. Somehow, with the door opened (or fallen in, whatever), it was able to have signal.

"One last goodbye text before you die?" the hit man offered. "You could do a selfie if you like. I will never understand youth's obsession with the selfie."

Ace fumbled for his pocket but it was Nojiko who pulled out the phone. Her face went from confusion at the image on the screen to horror and she dropped the phone to the ground with a clatter.

"Oh, gross," she muttered, holding a hand over her mouth.

"What is it?" Ace asked. One of his classmates hadn't sent him a string of dick-pics again as a gag, had they?

"It's a room full of dead people," Nojiko told him, still holding her mouth. "And pieces of them."

Another message chimed through.

"You look," Nojiko insisted, picking up the phone again and holding it in front of him. Ace saw that the messages were from Sabo.

"Oh shit," Ace muttered. "He just took down Arlong Park."

"Excuse me?" the killer interrupted. Ace had forgotten about him for a moment as he stared at the carnage of the room full of dead men.

"See for yourself," Ace offered, and Nojiko tossed the phone to the murderer. The man looked at the two images and a third came through. The hit man tsked at the photo and wrinkled his nose.

"So much for a higher pay off," the hit man lamented. A fourth message came through. It was apparently a video because Ace could hear Sabo's voice in the background.

"This is all that's left of the yakuza boss Arlong," Sabo's voice stated. "His reign over East Blue is—"

Ace heard the discharge of a bullet interrupt Sabo's voice on the recording. And then he heard _her_ voice.

"Just in case."

"Nami?" Nojiko asked, displacing Ace a little bit as she tried to get up and go get the phone back. Ace winced and began coughing. It was the most physically painful thing he had ever experienced in his life.

"Well, it seems my employer has passed on," the hit man sighed. "An unfortunate turn of events seeing as he was a good source of income. But there will be others."

Ace, as he recovered his ability to breath partially, felt a brief flare of hope that the hit man would let them live. Reality smacked him with the harsh truth when Ace recalled that the hit man would probably have to kill them as witnesses.

"The Saw Shark did pay me up front," the killer added. "So I guess I should at least earn my pay and kill you, young lady."

Nojiko swallowed once. "You'll let Ace live?"

"The fuck are you talking about?" Ace barked, which brought on another round of coughing. More blood than ever was coming up now.

"Sure," the hit man shrugged. "He won't much outlive you with those wounds, so it doesn't matter."

"Okay then," Nojiko agreed, standing. Ace futilely reached out and grabbed her calf but she easily broke his grasp. The hit man put the long sword to the side and pulled out a small dagger.

"I am not usually kind to those I kill," he said, "but today you have given me a thrill and also faced death not as a coward. So this shall be quick and mostly painless. You will feel the blade pierce your skin, and then nothing more."

Nojiko stood up straight and faced her killer without a flinch, even as he reached out a hand and took her shoulder to spin her around to face away from him. The same hand held her in place as he placed the dagger at the nape of her neck.

"I am going to sever your spinal cord as I push the blade into your brain," he informed her. "Quick and painless."

"Mihawk, if you like the girl enough to not butcher her, why don't you just let her go."

There was a long, loud silence in the pause that followed. Nojiko looked confused again, but thankfully unmoving so the hit man wouldn't accidentally harm her. Ace had finally regained his breathing and was going to shout his proclamation of 'no' when the other voice spoke up and had caused the hit man to do the strangest thing: he looked rather startled.

"I suppose I could have done that if you hadn't just told her my name," the hit man, Mihawk apparently, returned, lowering the blade and letting go of Nojiko.

Nojiko flashed him a perplexed look since she couldn't see what was going on as she was facing away from it, but Ace shook his head minutely at her, hoping she'd just stay where she was. She did.

"Cockswallow. You wear the same uniform to kill people every time. They'd have figured out your name without me telling them."

There was a group of men approaching the boiler room. Mihawk had let go of Nojiko and was inching his way back to his long sword as the group approached.

"All the more reason to kill them," Mihawk replied. "Dead witnesses tell no tales."

"Please," dismissed the man in the lead. "In this day and age of forensics, all dead men tell tales. You'd have to spend some of that precious money you got from that dead yakuza hack to pay off some piece of shit in the precinct to lose your evidence. And that would get mighty expensive since this whole affair falls under Garp's jurisdiction."

"Garp?" Mihawk repeated, eyes narrowing.

The first man, who had the light to his back and the boiler room bulb did not reach, pointed a finger at Ace.

"You have him to thank for that," he said. "He's one of Garp's charges. Portugas D Ace. Remember that name?"

"Probably not as clearly as you do," Mihawk snapped. "Did you come here just to ruin my day?"

"Of course not," the man answered, sounding appalled. "I came to visit a friend but when I got to her house, well, it was obvious that you had gotten there first. Then I just followed the blood."

"Well, then have your way with your visit!" Mihawk snapped irritably. "Don't let the likes of me stop you!"

The unseen man chuckled. "Your temper has not improved with age, Mihawk. _This_ is not my friend. She's at least fifteen or so years younger than Belle."

"Then what the hell do you care of her fate, Red-Hair?" Mihawk demanded. "You know that I don't tolerate your interference into my work very well. Is that why you brought your entourage?"

"My friend thinks of this one as her daughter and is partial to her," the unseen man, called Red-Hair apparently, offered up. "And she's also got ties to the police force, or former police force I think. I do not wish to see her or her children in pain, and I have no doubt she'd be pained at the loss of either of these two."

Mihawk still looked pissed at being interrupted, but his eyes narrowed in contemplation. "Your convoluted nonsense is annoying. State your business clearly, Red-Hair."

Red Hair sighed. "My friend Belle. She keeps something important to me safe. Likewise, if I can keep something that she holds important safe, I can call us even."

"None of this matters to me," Mihawk spat. "Not your friend Belle, not this boy's keeper Garp—"

"What about a grandson of Garp?" Red-Hair put forth. "Perhaps you have not heard of that development."

"A grandson of Garp?" Mihawk repeated.

"Yep," Red-Hair chirped. "Monkey D. Luffy."

Mihawk straightened. "You and I have things to discuss. Now."

And for no other reason that Ace could fathom, Mihawk walked out of the boiler room past Red-Hair's 'entourage' and left his two former targets be. Ace squinted against the dim bulb to try to make out the face of the man who had convinced a hit man to spare them.

"Let's keep what happened today a secret," Red-Hair suggested. "A man came to kill you, you outwitted him, ran here to hide and that's the last you saw of anything until the ambulance got here."

On the heels of his words, Ace could hear a siren approaching.

"What about the door?" Nojiko asked, having finally turned around. She too was squinting at the man basked in shadows.

"It was like this when you got here," he suggested. "Now be good and do what you're told. That's the price today to walk away with your lives."

He seemed to reconsider his previous statement.

"Or hobble, as the case may be," he amended, and left the way he came as well. Within a minute, Nojiko and Ace were alone again. She dropped to her knees next to him and looked him over.

"What are we gonna do?" Nojiko whispered, wincing as she inspected his side. Ace guessed the wound had worsened. Sure as hell felt like it had.

"Take his advice," Ace murmured back. He could hear people descending stairs towards them, shouting to one another. "For now. We'll talk to the old man when everything else has settled, and Nami is safe at home."

Nojiko took a moment to consider his words, and then nodded in agreement.

"Hand me my phone," Ace asked as paramedics came down the last flight of stairs towards them in a jog. "I want to call my brother."

But before he could, Ace lost consciousness again.


	20. Chapter Twenty: Nami

**Chapter Twenty: Nami**

The biggest obstacle Nami faced on the sixteenth floor was her fucking kimono.

Not the guns, not the fifty some-odd Fish going to kill them. No. It was the mother fucking kimono. It seemed like it was trying to kill her too, and it was damn near close to succeeding.

Nami had reached down the knife in Chew's chest the moment the door closed behind Luffy and the others. She wasn't good at throwing knives, but she wanted something to defend herself with when the time came. And it seemed like it would come quickly.

Sanji and Zoro had split from Luffy, moving in opposite directions from each other so that the room had one of the guys at each corner. It took a few seconds for the Fish to recognize the boys' appearance and the new threat, and Nami decided to make it a costly one.

She launched herself at the nearest Fish (albeit, awkwardly in the kimono) and stabbed him in the back. She wanted him to flail his arms about so she could easily reach into his suit coat and lift the guns he had off of him. Due to the 'esteemed' guest they were expecting, only five Fish in the room, not including Arlong, had guns on them. This Fish was one, but she did not reach the guns.

In light of letting her be armed, Arlong shot his own man so that he stumbled away from her. Nami at least kept a hold of her knife, but the jig was up and the Fish nearest to her, the ones that were armed, all backed away. Nami looked over at Arlong, expecting him to aim at her next. She was an open target with no means of cover near her. But Arlong merely sneered at her and made his way over to the security room.

Why wasn't he shooting her? She was the easiest damn target in the room!

Arlong made it about three steps before he was tackled from behind. Sort of. At least, Nami assumed that Luffy was trying to tackle Arlong. What he managed was to wrap his arms around the yakuza boss and trip him up a little bit. It didn't take much for Arlong to break Luffy's hold, but at least Luffy had managed to dislodge Arlong's gun. Well, one of them anyway. He no doubt had more on him.

Nami glanced about her and saw that she was still nowhere near any Fish, armed or otherwise. The Fish that Arlong had shot had been towed away already, too. Fucker! She wanted a gun!

Knowing Arlong usually kept one in a locked drawer of his desk, she made her way to the desk. She immediately tripped when trying to move quickly in her kimono. Haphazardly, she reached behind her to undo the obi and let herself out of the contraption, but she was so tightly tied into it, she could barely get an arm behind her.

With tiny, tiny, fucking itty bitty steps because that's all she could manage in this shitty kimono, Nami made her way to the desk. Ussop was still taking refuge there, using it as a shield against the bullets that whizzed his way. Nami ducked behind the desk, too, but oddly, the bullets stopped heading their direction.

Whatever.

She needed to get in that drawer! She took some pins out of her hair and set about breaking into the drawer that she'd seen hold a gun. She spared a glance at the others; Luffy was for whatever reason, trying to strip Arlong of his suit coat. Luckily, no Fish were willing to neither get near Arlong when he was in that state of mind nor to shoot in his direction, so it was at least for now a one-on-one fight. Zoro and Sanji were bombarded with Fish, but each was taking them down rather quickly. Occasionally, at her side, Ussop would land a knife in an unassuming Fish.

Finally! The drawer opened. Nami pulled out the gun, and immediately felt that something was off. It felt too light. Granted, she'd only held a gun on a couple of occasions before, but this gun felt like there was no weight to it. Thinking back to when she had first become a member of Arlong's yakuza and the Fish had gotten drunk and tried to teach her how to shoot, Nami recalled how to check the magazine.

She popped it open and looked in dismay at the three sad little bullets in the magazine. Further inspection of the drawer showed that there were no spare magazines within it. Damn it. What could she do with just three bullets?

She'd never been a good shot, but then again, she hadn't shot a gun since she was eleven. She'd have to be at point blank range then. It was only going to work if she got close while the Fish were distracted. And a new problem presented itself: more Fish were arriving.

Where Zoro and Sanji had been occupied before, they were now being overwhelmed. Ussop was down to only a couple knives left if he didn't go scavenge ones from the Fish he'd already incapacitated. Not one to withhold help from a comrade, Nami gave Ussop the knife she'd taken from Chew. He took it, and her arm too. He pulled her into a fierce hug for a few seconds and though they were in a dire situation, Nami couldn't make herself break the hug first. This would be the only reunion they would probably get.

He let go and peeked around the corner of the desk, probably picking out his next targets. Nami figured he'd be fine as long as he was behind the desk. She got up and made a break out of the cover of the desk.

Not that she needed to, apparently. As soon as she was in the open, she thought she'd have to dodge bullets in her ridiculous kimono, but she was ignored. No, ignored wasn't the right word. She was _avoided_ , even as she tripped in the fucking dress. No one wanted to come near her.

Fine.

She wasn't one to overlook an accidental gift. Testing her newly formed theory, she very purposefully walked over to Zoro, watching Fish clamor to get away from her. She was right; even if she couldn't fight for shit, she could at least give her comrades a breather. Zoro gave her an odd look, eyeing the Fish warily. He was huffing with exertion, but he appeared fine.

"Do me a favor and get me out of this thing," Nami requested, turning around and pointing to her obi. Zoro gave her another bewildered look before making a swipe with his sword. The obi fell to the ground and Nami immediately shrugged out of the heavy and constricting kimono, leaving her in the under robe. Moving was much easier.

"Thank you," she sighed in relief.

"Why are they doing that?" Zoro asked, jutting his chin at the Fish. "Why won't they come near you?"

"I think it's something along the lines of don't damage the merchandise," Nami answered. It was the only conclusion she'd come to. "You good?"

Zoro smirked. Nami smiled back, practically beaming. She hadn't realized how much she missed that arrogant ass. She trailed a hand down his arm towards his hands and he let go with one had to grasp hers. From how tightly he squeezed her fingers, she felt how much he'd missed her back.

Knowing he'd be fine, Nami let go and went towards Sanji next. He was doing alright, but she knew that he must be tired too. As they had with Zoro, the Fish backed away at her approach. Sanji looked torn between shielding her (which she did not need) and professing his undying love for her.

"Are you okay?" she asked, taking in his breathless appearance. He gave her an exasperated look.

"My Nami-swan," he lamented, "I should be asking you that question."

She smiled at the concern, but moved on to address the problem at hand. "The reinforcements are coming from the stairwell. We need to block it off somehow."

"Would be best if we could lock it," Sanji replied. "So that they can't get in. Ussop would probably be best at that."

Nami nodded, looking over at Ussop, who was still behind the desk and down to one knife.

"I got it," she assured him, kissing his cheek lightly. "Do your best, Sanji-kun."

His eyes rolled into the back of his head in bliss for a moment before he was back to ready. Nami didn't try to skirt anyone in the room; she just went directly to Ussop. On the way, she grabbed three knives from immobile bodies to give to him. He looked reluctant when she pulled him to standing, even after explaining their need to get into the security room.

"Trust me, no one's going to shoot while I'm around," Nami promised. Ussop thought about it for a moment before nodding. The two of them made their way towards the security room, only to be stopped by the giant Kuroobi. He, unlike the others, was not afraid to be in close quarters with her. He made a grab for her immediately and Nami shoved Ussop around the behemoth of a Fish towards the security room. He was only a few feet away now and Nami figured he could probably make it the rest of the way on his own.

Nami tried to pull the gun she had tucked into her robe but Kuroobi was too fast for her. He had her in his grips in a moment and was lifting her off the ground when something collided with his back and made him stumble. Nami broke free of his grip and saw over Kuroobi's temporarily hunched form none other than Luffy. He looked surprised to see her too, and he grinned recklessly at her for a moment before Kuroobi's rising body blocked her view.

He lunged at her again, but she ducked out of his way and with pure astonishment, Nami watched as Luffy once again rammed hard into Kuroobi's back and sent the man flying out of one of the windows. Luffy stood at the window's edge for a moment, peering over, as if to be sure that Kuroobi would not somehow make a reappearance.

Both of them flinched when a bullet whizzed by Luffy's ear. Nami ran to Luffy's side, intent on shielding him from bullets, but the moron just kept pushing her aside. She stubbornly clung to one arm so she was at least somewhat near him, but she saw that the shooter was Arlong. Nami knew he might not worry about carelessly hitting her, not in the state of fury he was in.

Nami yanked on Luffy's arm as hard as she could, dragging him back to the barricade that was the desk. The desk was specially made for criminals like Arlong to use as a means of protection, in case a shootout should occur. Nothing would penetrate the front of the desk short of an armor piercing bullet.

Nami shoved Luffy down to the floor behind it, collapsing nearly on top of him to keep him grounded. She somehow knew he would try to get back up and fight again, but Arlong shooting was something Nami was not willing to let him face. He gave her a put out look for a moment before the wide grin returned. His arms flung around her, crushing her to him.

"No more goodbyes, Nami," Luffy mumbled in her ear. "We're gonna be together forever now."

Even if forever was just the next five or six minutes, Nami knew they'd probably be the best of her life. Even with the yakuza bearing down on them. She pulled away from him far enough to look into his eyes. He was the same boy she had known over the last couple months, but he was also different. He seemed like he'd found purpose somewhere and was brandishing it like a sword.

"I grow tired of this game, my dear," Arlong called from the other side of the desk. Nami knew if she lifted her head, she'd be able to see him. She flattened herself against Luffy, trying to shield as much of him as she could. "When are you going to realize that all of this effort is futile?"

"I told you I'd rather die than go willingly," Nami retorted.

"Ah, but what of your _friends_?" Arlong asked. Nami felt ill. She knew that if he was using that line on her, one of her nakama had probably fallen into his clutches.

She peeked around one side of the desk and saw Zoro taking on Hachi. It didn't seem like a bad situation at first glance; it was pretty much one on one now, with all of the other Fish having backed off. But Hachi was using two swords against his one. Zoro was hard pressed to keep up.

Ussop was nowhere in sight, but the security room door was closed now. If she had to bet, she figured Ussop was in there, hopefully going to town on Arlong Park's security. That left Sanji.

She reluctantly lifted her head over the edge of the desk. Sure enough, Arlong stood at the other side, gun aimed at her though she bet that he wouldn't shoot her. Even he had to be aware of the cost of 'damaging the merchandise.'

She threw a quick glance in the direction she'd last seen Sanji, but was instantly puzzled. He was still taking on Fish after endless Fish, but he was also still on his feet. Or rather, more his hands since he used his feet to kick the shit out of any Fish who challenged. Her friends were fine.

Her confusion only lasted a second. One single second. The span of time for Arlong to lower the aim of the gun to shoot through the top, non-bullet resistant part of the desk to what was just beneath her. He had distracted her, purposefully made her reveal where she was hidden behind the desk so he would know where she had pushed Luffy to cover, knowing she'd be shielding him with herself. Nami only had time to look down at Luffy before Arlong fired and Luffy jolted as the bullet hit him. He looked surprised, more than anything, as he peered down at his stomach. Nami looked too, expecting to see an exit wound, but there was none. The bullet was still lodged within him.

Reaching around desperately, Name felt his back for the wound. She came upon it half way down, and judging by where her fingers felt ragged flesh, Nami figured he had been punctured near the bottom of his lung. She was assured of that when he groaned and coughed a little, blood spattering out of his mouth against her.

"You've lost one of them today," Arlong told her, already dismissing Luffy as a dead man. "There are three left. Will you not tell them to retreat with their lives?"

Arlong would never, ever spare any of them, as long as he lived. She knew it as certainly as she knew the sun would rise tomorrow. And it was not very likely that any of the five of them would see tomorrow.

It wasn't fair. She hadn't gotten her five minutes of forever yet! She'd only gotten two, maybe three minutes. She wasn't ready yet! She stared into Luffy's confused eyes as he coughed again, even more blood erupting from his mouth. He would drown in his own blood pretty soon.

Desperation. She felt it within every fiber of her being. She'd told herself she was ready for this, that she would die with her friends if it came to it, but she was now faced with the fact that Arlong would let no harm come to her and probably make her watch as he murdered her friends. Dying with them she could handle. Watching them die and living on without them, she could not.

She stood up, though Luffy still tried to pull her down. The weakness in his limbs as he pulled told her how bad off he was. It only made her resolution that much stronger.

"As I said before," Nami retorted, pulling the measly three shot gun from her robe, "I'd rather die."

Arlong looked warily at the gun in her hand, poised to probably shoot it out of her hand. She doubted he could do it without harming her. At least, that's what she was counting on.

"How much is Donquixote going to take out of your hide if you give me to him in less than perfect condition?" Nami asked rhetorically, placing the nozzle of the gun against her forearm. She released the safety and fired.

In retrospect, getting shot hurt less than she thought it would. She had expected some debilitating pain to encompass her, but still, she'd only shot herself in the arm. Maybe that was why she felt the pain but immediately dismissed it.

Then again, maybe it was the adrenaline.

Arlong looked ill. Though she knew he wouldn't verbally answer her question, his countenance did just fine to do it instead. He appeared as though he was mentally tallying the cost and coming up on the owing end. She didn't think anyone wanted to ever owe that man Donquixote anything.

"Fall back," Arlong ordered. Fish around the room looked at him incredulously, but did as ordered. Sanji and Zoro were a little perplexed at the sudden recession of their opponents and she jerked her head at them, silently signaling them to come to her. Cautiously, they did as she asked.

The room remained tensely silent as the guys made their way to her. They were a little stricken at the sight of Luffy, but they remained calm enough that Nami was sure they would understand what she was about to say.

"Pick him up," she instructed them. Sanji and Zoro each grabbed an arm of Luffy's and lifted him to standing. The change in position did not do him good; Luffy coughed up more blood. "Over to that door."

In a slow shuffle, the four of them made their way to the security room. Nami remained facing Arlong and the Fish, her gun cocked and held against her leg as she walked. She kicked the door and called to Ussop.

"Come out now," she instructed. "Hurry, Ussop."

The door cracked open the tiniest bit at first, before Ussop saw it was really them and opened the door wider. He took in the scene with more panic in his eyes than the other two had. Nami tried to keep him focused on the task at hand.

"Did you get the security system handled?" she asked. Ussop didn't answer right away. She elbowed him.

"Yeah, I think so," he mumbled.

"To the elevator," Nami instructed next. It was another slow procession in which Nami kept her eyes on Arlong, who she could tell was itching to shoot something. When they made it to the elevator, Nami reached out blindly behind her to press the call button.

"Don't you dare think to get on that elevator," Arlong growled, taking a few steps towards them. Nami pulled the trigger on the gun again, sending a bullet through her upper thigh.

Okay, admittedly, that one hurt a lot worse than the one in the arm. Nami bit down hard on her lip as she struggled to remain standing. Ussop's hands were there to support her in a moment. Arlong stopped in his trek, but the look on his face was less stricken and more livid now.

"You're going to get on the elevator as soon as it opens," Nami told the guys, breathing a little hard as she put some weight back onto her injured leg. It hurt like hell, but she could do it. She balanced on her own and pushed away Ussop's hands. "You're going to close it behind you."

"Like hell," Sanji snapped.

"Someone has to stay behind and make sure no one overrides the security and brings you back up here," Nami reasoned, though she doubted anyone was in the mood to be reasoned with. "I'll be fine. They won't hurt me. I'm too— _expensive_."

"But—" Sanji protested again, but Luffy erupted in a coughing fit. Nami heard more than just a few droplets of blood hit the floor. It sounded like someone had tipped a full cup of liquid upside down and let it splash to the ground. She winced, but didn't dare look away from Arlong.

She knew the guys couldn't disagree with her. They had each seen how she was right; she was essentially a shield for them. If they delayed any longer, Luffy would probably not make it to the lobby.

"This is worse than when you disappeared from the Baratie," Ussop whined angrily. "None of us made the conscious decision to leave you behind."

"It'll be fine," she lied to assure them. Behind her, the elevator dinged its arrival. Arlong made another step forward, but Nami raised the gun to her temple this time.

"Holy mother fucking hell!" she heard a familiar voice curse. She couldn't place who it belonged to, though. She didn't turn to look, only listened as the boys shuffled into the elevator and the door began to close. "Koala! I need paramedics in the lobby in half a minute! Man down!"

"Those boys will never make it out of this building alive," Arlong promised her. Nami knew that, but she also planned on not being left behind. Her finger tightened around the trigger.

From behind, she was grabbed and the gun she held was pulled from her grip. Thoroughly caught off guard, she turned her head to scream curses at whichever boy had elected to stay behind and prevent her from giving Arlong his just desserts with her death. It was a blonde that held her, but it was not Sanji. It was a person Nami had never expected to see again in her life.

It was Sabo.

And probably just to irritate her, he chastely kissed her.

"I'll take it from here, babe," he told her, pushing her behind him. Unable to stand on her gimped leg, Nami tumbled to the ground, leaning against the closed elevator doors. She watched, stunned, as Sabo raised the gun he'd taken from her along with another and began firing.

She'd never been in a shootout before. She had no idea how they went down, but she was pretty sure it wasn't at all like the one she watched. Sabo dominated the field. He discarded the empty gun after the single shot was fired and a new gun from his own person took its place immediately. Fish fell in droves while Sabo evaded the inefficient attempts at returning gunfire with an agility that left her in awe.

She had been approached by this guy in a park. He had choked on a cigarette and tried to poach her liquor. She'd taken him home and given him her virginity. And he was the most dangerous man in the room. Boy, could she pick 'em.

It probably took less than a minute. Every Fish on the sixteenth floor was down and no more could make it in from the stairwell thanks to Ussop. It was only Arlong left to face Sabo.

Sabo reached into his pocket and drew something out, tossing it at Nami. Clumsily, she caught a phone.

"Take a video," Sabo told her. "I want this bastard's death on record."

Fumbling a little, since she was starting to become a little woozy from blood loss, she opened up the camera and set it to catch video. She held the phone shakily as she pressed the record button, struggling back to her feet so she would have a clear shot.

"You've not won yet," Arlong denied. "Your guns are empty and it looks like you're out of magazines."

"You don't look so hot yourself," Sabo returned, shrugging as he discarded the empty guns. "You've got what, one bullet left?"

"That's one more bullet than you," Arlong replied. "So tell me. Just how do you plan on delivering my death?"

"Actually, I had a very elaborate death planned out for you," Sabo told him, unaffected by the fact that he was weaponless. "It involved a lot of pain and suffering and cutting pieces of you off at joints until I cut off your fugly head. But unfortunately, I don't have time for that anymore. So you're just going to die and I'm going to have to pray that both my brothers make it out of this shitty disaster alive."

Nami briefly wondered who his brothers were and felt guilt at their being dragged into her problems. It was bad enough her friends had been dragged into it. She wished with every fiber of her being that Luffy would somehow too make it through this aptly named disaster.

"Strong words for someone who is so obviously unarmed," Arlong snarled, raising his gun to shoot.

Well, it had worked before, why not now? Nami lunged forward on her wounded leg and put herself in front of Sabo. Caught off guard, Sabo didn't react fast enough to pull her out of the way as Arlong fired. Arlong did react, though, and managed to pull the shot to the side at the last moment. A bullet lodged deep in her shoulder and she clutched her wound, blood seeping past the phone still clutched in her hand.

"Fuck!" she heard Sabo hiss. Behind her, he lifted leg and yanked up his pant leg, grabbing a single shot gun out of a holster belted there. He shot as Arlong turned to take cover behind the desk. The yakuza boss didn't make it two whole steps before the bullet lodged into the back of his head and he fell to the ground.

Sabo, who was holding her up with one hand, took the phone from her and wiped the blood from it. He began furiously typing one-handed as he used his other arm to easily lift her until her feet were off the ground and walk her towards the still body of Arlong.

She was in shock, probably. She felt the pain of her wounds flare at every step, but Nami was too fixated on the body on the floor to worry about them. She had to see that he was dead. She had to. It wouldn't be real if she didn't.

A few feet away, Sabo set her down. She tried to make her way forward anyway, but he held out his arm to block her.

"Small caliber bullet, lower velocity," Sabo elaborated. "It may have only wounded him, and he may not be dead. Stay back, just in case."

Cautiously, Sabo approached the body and began nudging it with his foot. He kicked any nearby weapons out of range before reaching out and flipping the body over. If Arlong wasn't dead, he was doing a damn good job of faking it. His still face was wide-eyed and expressionless. Sabo sighed, looking at his phone again.

"I hope this will suffice," he murmured, opening the camera again. He took a picture and sent what she assumed to be a text message.

Nami stared at the open eyes of the bastard who had made her life hell. He looked too peaceful, too unharmed for her liking. Painstakingly, she reached down and picked up a fallen gun that was near her.

"This is all that's left of the yakuza boss Arlong," Sabo stated, holding his camera out towards the body. He was probably taking another video. Nami ignored him and shuffled forward a couple steps. She would need to be close for this. "His reign over East Blue is—"

Nami shot a bullet into Arlong's forehead. Sabo gave her a look of exasperation.

"Just in case," she muttered back, putting the safety on the gun before dropping it to the ground. Shock or not, Nami began to lose her hold on herself. Tears welled in her eyes and spilled over and sobs began to wrack her body.

"Let's go," Sabo sighed, sending another message before picking her up and carrying her towards the elevator. "It's time for this ridiculous farce to be over with."

Nami didn't know what he was talking about; she was too busy ugly-crying. She hid her face in with the hand that was attached to the unwounded arm and cried loudly as they waited for the elevator to ascend to them. Sabo tugged at her arm.

"I need to know about the other Mermaids," he implored. "Where are they?"

"Upstairs," she answered between sobs.

"How many are there?" he inquired.

"Twelve, I think," she replied. "I don't know. We only saw each other once in awhile, usually when we bathed. But before I became one, there were only twelve. I don't think I saw more than that."

Sabo got on his phone again and Nami put her face back in her hand. She figured she was free to go to pieces if she wanted now, but Sabo had given her some clarity of mind. There were others that needed help; not just herself.

"Koala, twelve non-hostiles," Sabo spat into the phone. "Find them and get them out. I've got what I came here for. I want this building clear of all non-hostiles by the time I hit the ground floor."

Sabo hung up without another word and dialed a new number. Nami looked up at his tense face as the phone rang and rang, but was not answered.

"Damn it," he muttered, redialing.

"Who are you calling?" she asked. He seemed so distraught.

"My brother," Sabo answered, listening to the phone ring on. "He's on his own in a bad fight. It's not good."

"I'm sorry about your brother," Nami mumbled as the elevator doors opened, feeling guilty. No doubt, Sabo would be with his brother if not for her. Sabo stepped on the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor. He immediately redialed his phone as they began to descend. "I told you that you shouldn't have gotten invol—"

"Shut up," he snapped at her. "It has nothing to do with you. He got involved on his own."

Nami voiced the obvious question. "Why?"

"One of the girls here," Sabo explained, redialing his phone a fourth time. "He's dating her sister. He did it for her."

Nami had no idea about the other Mermaids' lives; hell, she didn't know any of their real names.

"Pick up the phone!" Sabo hissed at his phone. "Come on!"

Despite his demand, no one answered. Sabo kicked a wall of the descending car in frustration. He dialed again.

"Koala, get me the old man, right fucking now," Sabo commanded. "One of my brother's is taking on a hit man and he won't pick up. He needs back up. He's at Shells Town Junior High hiding in the boiler room."

Nami felt dizzy at the mention of a hit man, and then shock as Sabo mentioned the school. Shells Town Junior High was less than a mile from her home. Arlong's threat came crashing back to her. Nojiko. She needed to call Nojiko right now and warn her, because it was obvious that the hit man was from Arlong and on his way to Nojiko. It was the middle of the day, so hopefully, Bell-mère would be with Smoker at the office, but Nojiko would be at home by herself. She'd have no protection.

"—said he was being attacked and in hiding. He said it was a hit man. You gotta get over there and—"

Nami grabbed the phone that Sabo was talking on.

"Hey!" Sabo shouted, grabbing for the phone back, but Nami lurched in his grip and tumbled to the ground painfully, clutching the bloody phone. At first she was stunned; there was so much blood on the floor of the elevator. With this much blood, it wasn't likely that Luffy was alive anymore.

The realization burned a worse pain than those she felt from her bullet wounds. Still, even if she couldn't save him, Nami had to at least try and save Nojiko. She ended the call and with shaky fingers, dialed her sister's number from memory. Huddled in on herself on the floor of the elevator, Sabo couldn't get a hold of the phone.

The phone stopped ringing after three rings, and Nami looked to see that if the call was still connected. Someone had answered, but not said anything.

"Nojiko?" Nami called out. She heard some rustling and the sound of her sister's voice.

"Can you hear me, Ace?" Nojiko shouted, though her voice was not near the phone. Damn it, was she too late? Nojiko sounded okay, but it was obvious someone had been hurt. "You gotta stay with me. Stay awake. Don't close your eyes!"

"Nojiko!" Nami shouted in the phone, still ducking Sabo's grabbing hands. There was more rustling on the other end of the line.

"Eh? Someone called…who is this?" Nojiko demanded tersely into the phone. Nami felt the tears starting.

"Nojiko," she half sobbed into the phone, feeling elation at hearing her sister's voice.

"Nami?" Nojiko's voice wavered, sounding on the verge of tears herself. "Holy hell, Nami! Where are you?"

"Nojiko, you've got to leave the house," Nami instructed, ignoring her sister's words. "You've got to leave the house. Go to Smoker's office right now! There's a man coming! He's coming to kill you!"

"He already came," Nojiko told her, but her voice was heavy with emotion. "There was a man who came; he had a long sword and he came after me, but Ace was here with me. There's so much blood! He wouldn't stop until we showed him the pictures on Ace's phone. But even then, he only hesitated; there was another man who made him leave."

"Where did he go?" Nami asked as the elevator hit the ground floor. Sabo picked her up around the waist and carried her out of the building, and she probably looked rather ridiculous, all folded in on herself. "He'd probably go after Bell-mère too—"

"We're getting into the ambulance," Nojiko interrupted with relief. "Hang in there, Ace. It's going to be okay now."

Nojiko had been distracted in the wake of the arriving paramedics and momentarily forgotten about her. Nami looked at the phone, wondering if she could dial Smoker's office too, but she couldn't remember the number off the top of her head. The phone disappeared from her hand.

"You done?" Sabo asked, hanging up without her confirmation. He dialed again and put the phone between his shoulder and ear, pausing to get a better grip on her. He scooped her back up into his arms so that he carried her properly now. They were leaving the empty lobby, though it had taken a lot of damage. She saw blood littered everywhere. Suddenly, they were out in the bright afternoon light.

"I'm out, Koala," Sabo told the person on the other end of the line. "Is the building clear of non-hostiles?"

Across the street, barricaded from the building by obnoxious orange hazard signs and easily recognizable among the much shorter crowd that had gathered, Nami's eyes laid upon Law. Their eyes met and Nami felt dizziness begin to take her again. He was the one here for her, wasn't he? Arlong had been wrong about who was going to pick her up. Or was she wrong? Was Donquixote somewhere in the crowd? Nami gripped Sabo's closest wrist very hard.

"Blow the building."

Nami's eyes left Law's and she looked up at Sabo, confused by his words. Suddenly, there was a loud booming rumbling and people were screaming and dust blew up everywhere. In astonishment, Nami watched as the building that had once housed Arlong Park, East Blue's most notorious and violent yakuza, crumpled down into a heap of rubble and dust. Through it all, Sabo remained unruffled as he carried her to a nearby ambulance.

"It's over," Sabo told her, handing her over to paramedics. She refused to let go of his wrist though and he was forced into the ambulance with her as the paramedics laid her out on a stretcher. "You don't have to be scared anymore."

Despite his proclamation, Nami couldn't stop the tears rolling down her cheeks like a faucet. She couldn't be alone. If she was left alone, they'd come for her. Nami looked at Sabo in desperation.

"Please don't leave me," she whimpered, rather pathetically. Sabo looked dismayed.

"I have stuff I gotta do," he sighed, looking out at the mayhem that was the scene around the collapsed building. He started and looked down at his phone, which was buzzing and somehow still working, despite all the blood and grit that it had accumulated. His face lit at the caller.

"Tell me you're good!" Sabo shouted in lieu of greeting. Relief colored his face immediately. "Fuck! Just fuck. I haven't been this stressed out in my life. Damn it, between you and Luffy, I've probably aged like twenty years today."

Luffy? How did he know Luffy?

"Yeah, I'm good," Sabo told the caller. He eyed her for a moment before sighing. "No, I've got something I've got to take care of, but I'll come to the hospital later. Yeah, see ya bro."

Pieces of her conversation with Sabo were coming back to her. His brother had been in a bad fight, with a hit man, and had gotten involved because of the sister of one of the Mermaids. What were the odds?

"Who did you send those photos to?" Nami asked, though deep down, she already knew. Sabo looked at her, though he was dialing his phone again.

"To my brother," he answered, grinning.

No. Don't say it. Please don't say it. Please, please, don't say it!

"Ace."

* * *

 **A/N:** I felt the need to post two chapters, just because I've been mean and left cliffhangers for the last three chapters. This is me sucking up I guess. Leave me a review if you have the heart. I love reading them and it motivates me to write ;)


	21. Chapter Twenty-One: Ussop

**Chapter Twenty-One: Ussop**

Getting shot fucking sucks.

But Ussop knew that before he actually got shot. In fact, it had been one of his goals today to not be injured in any way, shape or form. Still, when he opened the door on the sixteenth floor and saw about fifty burly men in suits, he knew he was in for some sort of bodily injury.

At a loss of what else to do, since he had just made himself the center of the attention to the whole room, he cracked a joke.

"Anyone order take out?" he asked with a nervous chuckle, gazing about the room lamely. At the exact moment his eyes found Nami, a shot rang out and he was thrown backwards and to the side a bit from the impact of the bullet.

The first thing he realized over the blazing pain was that he was still alive. Small miracle. He'd felt the impact in the middle of his chest, though a bit below where his heart was. It hit one of the books he'd taped to himself and somehow not let the bullet slide through him like he was a gelatin mold.

The second thing that hit him was that no one was looking at him anymore. If they had, they would have seen his chest moving (with great pain, though) and probably shot him again. Also, adrenaline had finally hit him since his long ( _super_ _loooooong)_ trek up the stairwell and he found he had the energy to move, despite the pain he was in. He hazarded a glance and saw was the main boss man, a grisly looking guy in a very expensive looking suit, shouting at a man who had half his body standing outside of a small room full of monitors.

There! That was the security room! Somehow, Ussop had to get his butt into that room.

The desire to move from where he was lying became much stronger when the boss man, who had to be Arlong, shot the man who was delivering a bit of bad news to him. Ussop scrambled behind one of the nearby couches and hoped that no one looked his way.

"Get our security measures back up!" Arlong shouted in a fury. "I want the elevators working too! Go down to the fucking fourth floor and shut off that damn alarm if you have to!"

Several men scrambled to do as they were told, and luckily, quite a few near where Ussop was hiding were quick to head to the stairwell and leave him with less likelihood of detection.

"And get those bodies out of sight!" Arlong commanded, and Ussop paled. They were about to discover he wasn't a dead body. He scrambled closer to Nami, which also took him closer to the security door but also nearer to the enraged man. "I don't want blood staining the carpet."

Ducked down and hiding, Ussop didn't see what made the room fall deadly quiet. But he had a guess of what it was.

"What is it?" Arlong demanded. Silence answered him for a few moments, but they felt hours long to Ussop.

"Maybe one of the guys grabbed him on the way downstairs," offered up somebody. Ussop knew they'd realized he was mobile somewhere. He hazarded a glance around the chair he was cowered behind and saw that everyone's attention was on the empty spot on the floor.

Everyone's except Nami. She was inching her way towards a desk that was between himself and the security room, though she was cautious of a large, mean looking man stationed near her.

"Send out a general alert," Arlong ordered, narrowing his eyes. "Something rankles."

Ussop took stock of the room and saw that he was going to have to give up his hiding spot soon, because Arlong was pretty close to the desk and as soon as he moved, the almost everyone in the room was going to see him do it.

"Sir, we've got a problem in the stairwell," a timid voice spoke up. Ussop had a fair idea of what that problem was, too. As soon as the people started rushing from the building, Luffy and the guys were gonna be on their way in. And likewise, up the stairs. Ussop was supposed to be keeping those stairs open too, but here he was, stuck behind a chair across the room from the place he needed to be. Fucking bad luck.

Arlong walked to the security room looking ready to break necks with his bare hands. "What is it?"

Ussop took back his curse against his luck. The attention of the room followed Arlong and left Ussop still unseen.

"It's the all-nighter kid," the petrified man told Arlong. "He's got two others with him. They're on their way up."

"Let the men headed down to the fourth floor deal with them," Arlong decided, sounding a lot less concerned than he should be, Ussop thought.

"That's the problem, sir," the terrified man explained. "They've already beaten them."

Ussop felt the room's tension skyrocket. Yeah, Luffy had that kind of way with situations. Ussop darted to the chair that was between himself and Nami. He grabbed the knives he had hidden in his pockets and armed himself, because he knew that the battle was about to begin.

"Idiots," Nami hissed as Ussop ducked under Arlong's desk to hide. Just in time, too. Everyone in the room turned to regard her.

"Something you would like to share with the rest of us, my dear?" Arlong snarled.

Nami lunged forward, stabbing the scary looking guard in the leg with a letter opener from the desk. The man crumpled to the floor and she hopped back away from him.

"Well, sixteen is longer than I originally expected to live," Nami sighed. "So I guess I came out ahead. I'll tell you now; I am not going to go peacefully to Donquixote. You're going to have to kill me."

Arlong narrowed his eyes into slits at her. "Is that so? Even at the cost of the lives of your precious family, who you've work so hard to keep alive these six years?"

"You were going to kill them anyway," Nami accused. The yakuza boss didn't even deny it or have the shame to look guilty.

"I offer you one last chance, little Nami," Arlong spoke. "Sit down in that chair and wait for Doflamingo like a good little girl and you will escape this little act of rebellion without a mark on you."

The small silence between Arlong's offer and Nami's response filled the room with so much tension that Ussop felt like he might choke on it. He prayed that Nami wouldn't say something belligerent to upset the mob boss.

"I'd rather die," she stated, against Ussop's prayers. "So let's cut to the chase already."

"So be it," Arlong shrugged. He took a phone out of the breast pocket of his jacket and dialed a number. There was a pause while he waited for the other party to answer. "Mihawk. I have another job for you. Yes, the two women whose pictures I sent you yesterday. No, no need to wait anymore. Go now. Do me a favor and make it painful. I'll pay extra. Good man."

Ussop felt bile rise in the back of his throat. That easily, Arlong dished out death to a complete stranger. Hell, he had been shot himself by the guy with the intention of death, and Arlong had killed one of his own subordinates. But it was the order of murder of someone completely innocent and without connection to any of this dirty business that made Ussop come to a hard decision.

Could he kill someone, too?

It would be murder. Ussop would be no better than the people he was fighting against. He would take a life that could not be given back. It was not something that Ussop could come back from. He would be forever changed by the action.

"You're in for some trouble, you know," Nami spoke while Ussop deliberated. "Those boys, the ones on their way up here, they were at the restaurant with Krieg. They survived."

Arlong scoffed. "Impossible. I decreed no witnesses."

 _No witnesses_. Arlong had already signed their death warrants four or five weeks ago. Ussop knew that there would be no second reprieve. It had been the night Nami was taken. Had she given herself up so that they might have a chance to escape? It sounded like something Nami would do.

Ussop swallowed hard and released one of the big knives from the tape on his arm. He could do it. He was going to do it. He was going to kill people. People that would kill him, given the chance. It was self-defense in a way.

"I know," Nami agreed. "But here they come. Which means one of two things: either they bested Dracule Mihawk, or Mihawk cheated you. Which do you believe?"

Nami was pretty good at bluffing, Ussop realized in admiration. She couldn't know the real story, but she had taken a good guess.

Ussop was distracted by the sound of a man grunting and growling at the same time. He peeked an eye around the desk and saw that the scary-ugly dude that had been guarding Nami had stood again, and the look on his face was murderous intent. And Nami was without any type of weapon to defend herself with.

Without thinking too much about it, Ussop sprang up from behind the desk and threw the big knife into the chest of the ugly-scary –faced guy. He fell to the floor with a look of confusion on his face, as though he didn't know why he was falling. Ussop tore his eyes away from the man who was going to be his first kill and stared Arlong down unflinchingly.

"I'll tell you our secret!" he cried, pulling more knives from his pockets. "We're invincible!"

It was a blatant lie. But they didn't know that. Nor did they know that Luffy had just let himself and Zoro and Sanji into the room too. They all drew their guns to shoot (probably) at him as Nami leaned down and pulled the knife from the ugly's soon-to-be corpse.

While Sanji and Zoro took walked in opposite directions from Luffy, Nami charged half stumbling towards the nearest man to her and stabbed him in the back with the knife she'd gained. He saw her reach towards the man's inner jacket pocket but another gun shot rang out and the man ricocheted away from Nami towards another grouping of men.

Nami did keep the knife, but every man within three meters of her backed away, recognizing her as a threat. But oddly, no one aimed their guns at her. Whatever. Ussop didn't worry about it since it wasn't an issue and began tossing knives at the men that where within his range. Three more went down before bullet's came his way and he had to duck behind the desk.

Ussop heard the first sharp clang of metal hitting metal and realized with a laugh of exaltation that the desk was armor enforced. Ha! Trust a yakuza leader to have a bullet proof desk! What a lucky break.

Arlong began moving towards the security room.

Damn it! Ussop was no longer going to think about his luck; it seemed to change with the wind today. He took stock of how many knives he had left that would kill a man, not just maim him, and counted seven. The most sturdy one Ussop could possibly throw at Arlong's head, but he wasn't sure the yakuza boss wouldn't be able to dodge and—

Problem solved. Luffy half-tackled Arlong before he got more than three steps towards the security room. He was also pulling the same stunt as he had at the Baratie. He stripped Arlong of his suit coat and dislodged the gun from his hand. Well, whatever worked.

Nami came his way, though she tripped again and was making some odd movement with her arm as though she was reaching behind her. He didn't worry about it. She looked fine. In fact, she looked almost perfectly unharmed. And weirdly, the bullets headed his way stopped as soon as she ducked behind the desk with him.

She pulled some pins out of her hair and began picking a lock on one of the desk drawers. Ussop watched in puzzlement for a moment before glancing over the top of the desk to see that most of the 'bad guys' were now converging on Sanji and Zoro.

Well, how about some knives in the back! Ussop put three more knives in as many men before they backed out of his range for the most part. Once in awhile, one would get close enough out of carelessness and he would land a hit. But his knives were starting to dwindle. Soon, he'd be down to non-lethals.

In the meantime, Nami had gotten the drawer open and was pulling out a gun. She checked the magazine with almost no fumbling and then slammed it back in with a frustrated huff. She shuffled around the desk drawer a bit more before slamming the drawer closed in agitation.

Ussop saw that the stairwell door was open again and that more men were starting to appear. Damn it, that's what he was supposed to be preventing! He had to get to the security room, not cower here! But still, as soon as he left the protection of the bullet proof desk, he was likely to become target practice again. Not at all appealing.

Nami handed him the knife she'd been brandishing, and Ussop grabbed it eagerly—along with her hand and pulled. He hugged her hard for a few seconds before letting go, knowing that this reunion had to be short. He set his eyes on his next target as he peeked around the desk, also looking for a good chance to get into the security room.

Nami darted out from behind the desk and Ussop's eyes followed her, his knife cocked and ready to throw if anyone raised a gun at her. But no one did. It was weird. They all backed away from her as if she were the plague. Oh well. That left those avoiding her as open targets.

He threw knives at the nearest men and landed hits on all of them, but unfortunately, only two of the five knives he threw were lethal shots. The other three were wounded, but still functioning. Plus he was down to three knives. When Nami made her way over to Sanji, the same avoidance occurred but none of the men got close enough to Ussop to be mortally wounded and at this point, Ussop needed mortal wounds. No maiming would suffice.

Two more fish got close enough to give lethal shots to. No matter how much he thought about what he was doing, though, Ussop could not think he was killing or murdering the men. He tried to think of it as an interactive game that just had really good visual effects. It didn't help much, though. Nagging at him deep in his chest was the feeling that he was a murderer.

"We've got to get you into the security room," Nami said, breaking up his dark thoughts and handing him three more knives. She didn't even duck down behind the desk. "Sanji said you'd be best at keeping out more Fish."

Fish? Oh, right. The bad guys. In Garp's files, Ussop had read that the men in Arlong's yakuza were referred to as Fish.

Nami tugged on his arm and pulled him up with her. He went reluctantly; though the Fish were not shooting at her, they could still shoot at him.

"Trust me, no one's going to shoot while I'm around," Nami promised. Ussop thought about that for a moment before deciding she was right. He'd seen the evidence himself.

The two of them made their way towards the security room in a dash, but a behemoth of a man stepped in their way. He, unlike the others, was not afraid to be in close quarters with Nami and made a grab for her immediately. Nami shoved Ussop around the giant Fish towards the security room. He was only a few feet away as Nami shooed him away and faced the monster Fish with only her gun.

Ussop was going to protest (or at least put a knife in the ginormous man's back) but Luffy rammed into the man after being physically thrown away by Arlong, blocking his aim. Arlong set his sights on Ussop then and pulled a gun and Ussop knew that he had to go into the security room or die.

Easy decision.

He barely made it into the security room after being hit with yet another bullet, this time in the back, but luckily also in one of the books he'd taped to himself. Foresight was a blessing sometimes. It still hurt like hell and he felt like the wind had been knocked out of him as he tried to get back up in time to yank the dead body out of the doorway and close the security room door.

He'd barely accomplished the task when he was grabbed from behind.

Ussop had been so worried about the threat of Arlong outside of the security room, he forgot to account for any men inside of it. And now he was in a headlock.

In retrospect, Ussop had a clear shot to the kidneys. It wouldn't be a quick or painless death by any means, but Ussop figured he was in for the same if he didn't do something. So he stabbed one of his remaining three knives deep into the kidney of his captor. The man howled in pain and lost his grip, and Ussop was finally able to take a breath. When he spun around to throw another knife, he got the shock of his life. Which was really saying something considering all that he'd been through so far that day.

Another one of Arlong's men, a Fish, stood next to the maimed man with a gun pointed at his head. He fired without hesitation and the gore splattered everywhere, including onto Ussop, much to his dismay, as the man fell dead to the ground.

"I take it that you're here to stop the reinforcements from entering," the Fish said calmly, reholstering his gun. Ussop was pretty shocked and didn't think about not answering the Fish. He nodded mutely. "That is easier said than done. There's someone on the outside hacking in and fucking around with our systems. They're keeping every door open. I've been doing my best to counteract it, but with a subordinate looking over my shoulder, I was hard pressed to do much."

Ussop was still stuck in a blank, mute stare. Just what was going on?

"I can lock the hacker out easily enough, but I need to get upstairs to the Mermaids. I must get Keimi out of here," the Fish went on, finishing his thought almost absently. "If I show you how to block the hacker, will you vow to not speak about my involvement to anyone?"

Ah. A trade. Ussop got it now.

"Absolutely," Ussop agreed readily. "As long as you don't take out me or my friends."

The Fish smiled slightly. "You and your friends…you are doing what I have been aiming to do for almost three years. Of course I wouldn't take you out."

It could be a trap. Ussop knew that. But being a skilled liar himself, Ussop also knew when (most) people were lying, and this man wasn't, to Ussop's knowledge. So he nodded again in agreement.

The Fish went straight to the console for the security system and began typing furiously at the main computer. Not a word was uttered for over a minute but Ussop watched as different security systems went online again. The Fish had done the job, rather efficiently too.

"Remember, you never saw me," the Fish reminded Ussop as he went over to the corner of the room where the emergency exit was. By the orientation of the room, Ussop guessed it led into a stairwell. Not the main one, but probably a maintenance one. He popped the door open and ignored the alarm that was set off and hurried up the stairs before the door closed again and Ussop saw no more of him.

What Ussop did see were the monitors. And it looked like the fighting was over, but not in the good way. He saw that his four friends were headed in a single direction very slowly, moving awkwardly. But he couldn't tell where they were headed until he heard a knock on the security room door.

"Come out now," he heard Nami say. She sounded worried. "Hurry, Ussop."

He cracked the door open the tiniest bit to peek out, seeing that it was indeed Nami and the others waiting for him. He hazarded the door open a little wider and took in a scene that brought panic to him. Luffy was shot. Oh shit. And he was bleeding. Bad. Way worse than himself. And there was blood all over his chin. Was he throwing up blood too?

"Did you get the security system handled?" Nami asked him. Still in shock at the sight, Ussop didn't answer right away. She elbowed him.

"Yeah, I think so," he mumbled, shaking his head to try and clear it. It didn't work well.

"To the elevator," Nami instructed next. It was slow progress, in which time Nami kept her eyes on Arlong and a gun cocked to shoot herself in the leg. When they made it to the elevator, Nami reached out blindly behind her to press the call button.

"Don't you dare think to get on that elevator," Arlong growled, taking a few steps towards them. Nami pulled the trigger on the gun again, sending a bullet through her upper thigh. Ussop jumped away from her, but he was still hit with the ricochet blood anyway.

Was she crazy? Why was she shooting herself? Ussop watched as Nami bit down hard on her lip and struggled to remain standing. Ussop moved his hands to support her in a moment's time, though she was doing her best to stay standing on her own and only needed a little help with balance. Arlong had stopped in his trek, but the look on his face was livid.

"You're going to get on the elevator as soon as it opens," Nami told them, and everyone's head turned towards her. She put more weight back onto her injured leg and pushed away Ussop's hands. "You're going to close it behind you."

"Like hell," Sanji snapped.

"Someone has to stay behind and make sure no one overrides the security and brings you back up here," Nami reasoned, though Ussop had half a dozen arguments to counter her. "I'll be fine. They won't hurt me. I'm too— _expensive_."

"But—" Sanji protested again, beating any of the rest of them to it. Luffy erupted in a coughing fit and a gush of blood came up from his throat and splashed down to the floor in vivid red. Ussop realized that they couldn't defy Nami. If they stayed any longer, Luffy would undoubtedly die and possibly the rest of them too. They were just too out gunned.

"This is worse than when you disappeared from the Baratie," Ussop complained with a wavering voice. "None of us made the conscious decision to leave you behind."

It wasn't fair. They'd come here for her, damn it!

"It'll be fine," she lied. Ussop could lie with the best of them, but that also meant he could see a lie a mile away.

The elevator dinged its arrival and Ussop turned to watch the doors open up to a blonde man who looked startled to see them all. He gazed at all of them briefly, his eyes halting on Nami for just a fraction of a second longer than the rest of them, and then came to rest on Luffy.

His hands were moving before any of the rest of them could register that he'd moved. The blonde man pulled Luffy by the shirt into the elevator and knelt over him. Zoro stepped into the elevator immediately and hovered protectively over Luffy and the unknown man. Ussop reluctantly entered the elevator too, and finally, Sanji brought up the rear, muttering an oath under his breath.

"Holy mother fucking hell!" the blonde man cursed, flipping out a phone and dialing rapidly. He had the phone to his ear as he reached down and felt for Luffy's pulse. "Koala! I need paramedics in the lobby in half a minute! Man down!"

Then the blonde slipped through the closing elevator doors and left the four of them alone in the elevator, and the last Ussop saw of Nami, she was holding a gun to her head. Immediately, Sanji jabbed the door-open button, but the elevator was descending. He next stabbed the button for the fourteenth floor, but it wouldn't abide him.

"I think someone on the outside is working the security system," Ussop explained. "I was having a hard time with them when I got into the security room. I thought they'd given up, but obviously they just were letting me have my way for the time being."

"Well, what the fuck are we supposed to do for Nami?" Sanji demanded in a roar. "And Luffy? This whole fucking plan has gone to shit! We didn't get Nami back and Luffy's about to die as a result of it!"

Ussop had no rebuttal, but Zoro did. He turned and slapped Sanji. Not hit. Not punched. Slapped.

"Get your fucking head straight," Zoro snapped. "We don't know what we're about to face on the first floor. But if you don't get your shit together, Luffy _might_ die and we might die with him. Luffy's strong, but if we can't get him to an ambulance in less than a minute, he's gonna drown on his own blood. You wanna waste time because you can't see the goal? Yeah, we failed at getting Nami back. But we _will_ try again if we're alive. So, you stupid fucker, you wanna live or die when we get to the first floor?"

It was the longest speech Ussop had ever heard from Zoro. But every single thing he said was true. Brutally true. Ussop only had about six knives left, so he was going to have to be accurate when throwing them. There was no way that he could be accurate if he was frenzied. He took a deep breath and exhaled.

"You carry him," Zoro dictated to Sanji. "You've got the longest legs. Get him to the nearest ambulance and kick the shit outta whoever gets in your way, got it? Me and Ussop will get anyone who tries to follow."

Sanji looked livid at being told what to do by Zoro, but he also looked like he was taking the advice given and was getting his head back into the game. The three of them shifted Luffy, who began coughing up blood again though he was unconscious, onto Sanji's back as they neared the first floor.

"Ussop, you're gonna clear the way as soon as the door opens," Zoro instructed. "Be ready."

Ussop already had a knife in each hand, but he knew that the 'be ready' meant he was supposed to be in front. Great. Just where he wanted to be. Unconsciously, Ussop adjusted the books taped to his body and wondered if they would be able to stop another bullet.

"You good?" Sanji asked, looking down at him. "There's blood on your apron."

"Probably not mine," Ussop replied, dismissing it. Truth was, though, that his chest hurt big time and he was wondering if he had in fact been punctured by the bullet and was just now feeling it since he was coming down off of adrenaline.

"It's yours," Zoro told him. "You're getting in the ambulance with Luffy. Darts-for-brows and I will find out what hospital you're at and follow in our own way."

"Fuck you," Sanji spat at Zoro. "Snot hair."

"Future sex offender," Zoro returned, though there was a shadow of a grin on his face.

"Closet narcoleptic," Sanji retorted, sounding just as content to throw insults at each other.

The elevator dinged its arrival on the first floor and Ussop tensed. He had no idea what he'd see, but he didn't trust the blonde guy to deliver the said paramedics that he'd barked to get waiting for them over the phone. The elevator door opened to reveal a tall, older man with long silverish hair and matching mustache, and brown agespots adorning his skin. He gave Ussop an odd look and made a sweeping motion towards a pair of men who were looking rather averse to being there but sporting a stretcher.

"I'll be damned; he got a stretcher," Ussop muttered, moving out of the way for Sanji. Sanji looked a little less trusting though, but Ussop dragged him out of the elevator and over to the gurney.

"Hey!" Sanji protested, but didn't put up much of a fight since Luffy was still coughing up blood and he was mostly working on keeping Luffy on his back. "These fuckers—"

"Are terrified to be here," Ussop interrupted. "I doubt they mean us harm. Let's go."

Sanji finally gave in and put Luffy on the stretcher. The paramedics looked alarmed, but at least knew what their job was. They began to immediately treat Luffy as they steered the stretcher back out of the building at a slow jog. Ussop tried to keep up with him but his chest just wasn't having it anymore. He got three jogging steps in before he collapsed to the ground coughing.

"Damn it," Sanji cursed, leaning down and untying the apron. He pulled Ussop's shirt up next. "Why didn't you say something?"

Ussop couldn't answer through the coughing. And then he was crying in pain as Sanji tore one of the books, tape and all, from his skin. When would the abuse end?

"Fuck!" Sanji cursed again. "Why didn't you tell us you were shot?! Holy hell, this is bad. Hey, can we get another stretcher?"

Ussop hazarded a glance down and saw the hole the bullet must have gone into. Worse, since it had entered and in the relative scheme of things, his back didn't hurt, that meant the bullet was still inside him.

"Hold on," Sanji told him. "This is gonna hurt, but there are no more stretchers to come to you."

And suddenly, Ussop was over Sanji's shoulder in a fireman's carry and howling in pain as Sanji flat out ran out of the building. He ran for what seemed like forever, but finally stopped next to an ambulance.

"Got another one for you," Sanji announced, pulling Ussop down from his shoulder. That hurt too, but Ussop was beyond remembering what he said. He could be calling Sanji's mother a grand scheme of awful things and not know it because all Ussop could do was feel the pain in his chest.

In some part of his mind, he was aware that he was put into the ambulance with Luffy. In that same place, he knew that Luffy was already intubated and having someone else pump his breaths for him. He knew that Luffy was in bad shape and should ask how good his prognosis was. But Ussop couldn't. He could only feel like a red-hot poker was stabbing into his chest and the burning heat of it was spreading through his chest.

* * *

 **A/N:** I planned on updating this about every 2 weeks, but I'm going to slow down on that now. It's going to be more like once a month from now on. Please let me know what you've thought of the story so far, and THANK YOU to all of those who have reviewed and done so thus far.


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two: Sabo

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Sabo**

Sabo really wanted to go see his brothers. They were both headed to the hospital with, at least in Luffy's case, some serious and possibly lethal wounds, but the orange haired girl clutching his wrist was worrying him. Ever since he had told her he was talking to Ace, she had gone nearly catatonic, though her body was shaking violently. He worried that maybe shock or something was sending her into a seizure.

"Hey, can we move along to the hospital?" Sabo prodded. "I don't think she's doing so good."

"The debris from the building is blocking our way," one of the paramedics told him. "They're trying to clear us a place to drive but it may take a few minutes."

"She's probably in shock," said the other paramedic. "I'll be back in a minute to administer some meds and give her a blanket."

Sabo sent a dirty look to the paramedic who was so blasé about doing is fucking job. Besides, he didn't think it was simply shock. His gut was telling him—

His cell phone rang. How was the piece of shit still working? Sabo answered, but briefly considered ignoring it when he saw it was Koala calling. Last thing he wanted was to be bitched at right now.

"Yeah," he greeted unenthusiastically.

"You need to ditch that bitch you came out with and get to the hospital," Koala told him. "Your brother is being taken in for emergency surgery. You should at least have a good excuse to be shirking your responsibilities."

"Which brother?" Sabo asked, ignoring the bitch-fest and feeling a chill settle into his stomach.

"The younger," Koala replied. "Apparently the older needs blood transfusions and stitches, but no other serious injuries."

"Fuck me," he muttered, worried about Luffy. "I can't leave right now even if I wanted to. I'm in this ambulance to get to the hospital and we can't move due to debris."

"Not my problem you don't know when to blow a building," Koala retorted snappily.

Why was she being such a bitch? This was worse than normal. Yeah, they usually picked on each other, but this was a little bit much.

"What do you want from me, Koala?" Sabo asked point blank. "Stop pissing and moaning around the subject."

"Inazuma and Terry are unaccounted for," she snapped. "I can't get either of them to pick up, and no one's seen them since the blast."

"Fuck me!" he grumbled with more vigor. "Are we positive that they were not inside the building when it blew?"

"You think I'm an amateur?" Koala snapped again. "Of course they were out. But now we don't know where they are."

Shit. Bloody fucking rotten shit.

"Got it," Sabo replied, then ended the call. He looked at the orange haired girl, wondering if she would hear anything he had to say now. "Listen baby, I have to—"

"Oh, good, she's alive."

Sabo looked see the back door of the ambulance swinging open and a gangly looking guy climb into the ambulance. He was very tall and slim looking, but kind of edgy looking with dark hair and a ghost of a goatee. Sabo didn't know what to make of this guy, but he looked kind of concerned over the girl as he went straight to her and began looking her over.

"When I saw you come out of the building, I wasn't sure," the dark-haired man went on. But was he a man? He seemed kind of young looking. Probably not older than Sabo himself. "Well, that's a lot of blood loss."

He was peeking over the girl carefully and pulled up her eyelids to shine a light into her eyes.

"She's in shock," the guy said. "She needs to have her legs elevated and a shot of saline wouldn't hurt. Where's a blanket?"

The guy rummaged around the ambulance like he belonged there for a couple seconds before shouting up to the paramedics.

"Hey, Sol! Where are the blankets?" the guy called. One of the paramedics looked back at him in surprise.

"Trafalgar? What are you doing here?" the paramedic, Sol apparently, asked. "They're under the floor."

Trafalgar, the guy with the goatee, opened one of the cubbies built into the floor of the ambulance and pulled out two blankets. The first he rolled up and stuffed under the girl's legs to elevate them, the second he covered her with.

"I was in the area," Trafalgar answered. "I know this girl. She goes to my school."

"You know her?" Sabo repeated. Trafalgar gave him a look.

"Yeah. How do you know her?" Trafalgar asked.

"She's my…"

She's my what?

Girlfriend was not the word. One night stand was not a good description either. Obsession was accurate but also a little stalkerish.

"Your…?" Trafalgar prompted.

"My responsibility," Sabo finally got out. "If you know her, what's her name?"

Trafalgar smiled smugly. "Mikan. Named after that orange hair."

Sabo had no idea if this guy was lying or not, but he kind of felt like he was. But still, Sabo had never known the orange-haired girl's name. For all Sabo knew, Trafalgar could be right.

"Sol, can I hook up some saline? She looks deathly," Trafalgar called up front, ignoring Sabo again. Well, at least _someone_ was trying to help the girl now.

"Be my guest," Sol replied. "I'm about to get out and move some debris myself. We're trying to get through this mess to go to the hospital, but Jed told us over the radio that traffic into the downtown area is at a standstill."

"Take her to my pop's place," Trafalgar suggested, now involved in hooking up a bag of fluid's to the girl's (Mikan's if the guy wasn't lying) arm. "She's been there before. We have her medical records on file. He can take care of her."

"Sounds good," Sol agreed. "I'll call it in."

Whoever this guy was, he had the trust of the paramedics. They didn't question him at all. Not to mention they didn't mind this guy just administering medical treatment. Maybe he wasn't as shady as his appearance made him look and feel. He seemed genuinely concerned that the girl be taken care of.

"Look, I got things I gotta do," Sabo said. "You can take care of her, right? I can trust you to leave her in your hands?"

"I ain't gonna take over your responsibility," Trafalgar replied. "But I'm not gonna let her die. Does that suffice?"

Sort of. But not really. Sabo needed something else to trust this guy. Something substantial.

"Where's your father's place?" Sabo asked.

"Flevance Clinic. Six or seven miles away," Trafalgar answered. "Look, if you're that worried, just come with."

"I told you, I got shit I gotta do," Sabo huffed. "Whatever. I'm gonna leave her with you, but I'm coming to that clinic tonight. I don't give a shit about visiting hours."

"Whatever," Trafalgar dismissed.

Sabo sighed in agitation and slipped his hand from the girl's grip. She still seemed comatose, except that she was silently crying now. It was weird to watch. Tears just fell from her eyes and dripped back into her hair while she stared at the ceiling of the ambulance.

On impulse, Sabo leaned over and kissed her forehead, running his hand through her mussed hair. She didn't even blink.

"Your responsibility, eh?" Trafalgar observed dryly.

"Fuck off," Sabo returned, hopping out of the back of the ambulance and closing the door. He had to find Terry and Inazuma. The ambulance finally started making some headway in the debris left in the wake of the blown building and Sabo got on his phone again.

"Give me an update," he instructed.

"It's been three minutes," Koala answered. "There are no updates other than it's nice to see the mission leader get his head out of his ass and do some damn work for a change."

"Cut the shit," Sabo snapped. "I want answers. Now."

Koala sighed. "Touchy, touchy. Hack has the perimeter. He's looking for known hostiles in the crowd. So far nothing. Bunny Joe is searching the wreckage just in case. Max is working on the outer streets but he's found nothing so far. Everyone else has been pulled by the boss for one of his 'special projects.'"

"What special project?" Sabo asked. Usually he knew about every project the boss had in line. Why didn't he know about this one?

"He didn't deign to tell me the details," Koala growled. Ah, there it was. The real reason she was so bitchy right now. She was also not 'in the know.' "He said he wanted to leave the finding of Inazuma and Terry to you, since they were your responsibility. Everyone else was to go with him for his special project and he'd see us at our East base tomorrow at seven in the morning."

Whatever. It couldn't be that important if he was leaving the remaining three of the top five agents (plus Koala) with him.

"Hack's calling," Koala told him. "Hold on a minute."

She must have put him on call-waiting. She was back in half a minute.

"Hack says he's spotted an ugly over by Goza Street," Koala reported to him.

"I'm on my way."

Sabo knew that Goza Street was a little more than three blocks away, just outside the perimeter, but it was close enough that it was of concern. Sabo jogged, half dodging (damn, he should have kept up with that parkour he and Ace used to do) debris as he went. He spared a brief glance behind him to see that the ambulance had finally cleared the debris field and was turning onto the street.

Hack was standing unobtrusively in the crowd a few blocks away, waiting for him. Sabo met up with him and Hack jutted his chin to the left. Sabo discreetly looked that way and saw a known boagie, Daz Bonez, lingering. He was talking on a cell phone as he observed the wreckage.

"Keep tight with him," Sabo instructed Hack.

Still on the phone with Koala, Sabo heard her tell him to hold on while he eyed the crowd for even more boagies. At one point Sabo thought he'd spotted the worst of them all, but when he tried to follow the fluffy pink coat as it glided through the crowd, he lost it. That was about the time he heard Koala come back to him.

"I've been in contact with both Terry and Inazuma," she told him, relief evident in her voice. "Both say they were knocked out by some sort of gas and dragged a couple blocks away. They're on their way to rendezvous with you now."

"Something's going on," Sabo murmured aloud. He could feel it in his bones.

"Yeah," Koala agreed. "Mighty convenient that Terry and Inazuma aren't harmed but were moved away from where they were assigned. Weren't they tailing you?"

"Yeah," Sabo confirmed. "Someone didn't want me to have protection."

"What do you think it—" Koala started, but Sabo's phone beeped to indicate he had another call.

"It's Hack, hold on a minute," Sabo told her. He switched calls. "Go ahead Hack."

"Daz left the scene and got into a car a few blocks away," Hack reported. "I didn't recognize the driver. It was a woman. They are headed south and I'm in pursuit."

"Don't engage," Sabo warned. "Just observe. If anything feels off, abort. Got it?"

"Got it," Hack agreed.

Sabo switched back to Koala and relayed what Hack had said. "Can you check the area for stoplight cameras and see if you can get a shot of the woman who was driving?"

"I'll work on it," she said, already typing.

By that time, Inazuma and Terry caught up with Sabo. They both relayed the exact same story. They were waiting on either side of the ambulance for Sabo to deposit the girl and split. Then they smelled a noxious gas and lost consciousness. Woke up in separate alleys two blocks from the blast scene. It was eerie.

"No sight of any known boagies?" Sabo asked. Both Terry and Inazuma shook their heads.

"Someone wanted you isolated, boss," Terry said. "It was too weird. No one came at you though?"

"No," Sabo confirmed. "I was uh, able to leave the girl in the hands of someone capable though, I think. Shit, that reminds me… Koala, you still there?"

"Uh-huh," Koala answered. "Almost ready to send a picture of the woman to your phone. What's up?"

"Can you check out the background on Flevance Clinic?" he asked. Koala sighed heavily over the phone.

"Seriously, Sabo, I've never seen you so fucking distracted. Can't you get your head in the game for one minute?" Koala criticized.

"Damn it, Koala," Sabo snapped into the phone. "This kid from the Flevance Clinic _just happens_ to show up at the same time that Terry and Inazuma get knocked out and doesn't mention two unconscious men getting carried off? Just check it out and stop giving me shit. Fuck."

Sabo ended the call, frustrated.

"You think it was this kid?" Inazuma asked. Sabo shrugged.

"He didn't really look like a kid, but he knew the girl from school," Sabo explained. "I don't know. He kinda looked…edgy or something. I knew that something about him was off."

"It's worth checking out," Terry agreed. Sabo's phone rang.

"The Clinic's on the up and up," Koala snapped. "Worst it has is some under the table medical being issued to various gangs in the area."

She hung up on him this time. Didn't matter though, because Hack called about seven seconds later.

"They're at a school," Hack told him. "A high school about three or four miles away."

"A school?" Sabo repeated. His phone buzzed to indicate he had a new message. He briefly took the phone away from his ear and opened the message to see the picture Koala had sent. It was of a woman in sunglasses with long dark blue hair. No doubt in his mind that this was Paula Doublefinger.

"Yeah, I thought it was weird too," Hack confirmed. "And now that they're here, I can see that it's Paula. I wasn't sure before but now I am."

What were the number one man and woman in Baroque Works doing in a school?

"What school?" Sabo asked, feeling another one of those dread pangs in his stomach.

"Loguetown Senior High," Hack replied. Sabo felt the pangs of dread turn to ice. Just what the fuck was a branch of the Shichibukai doing in his brother's school?

"Let it be for the moment," Sabo decided, not wanting anything else to go wrong today. He just wanted this whole job to be over and done with. "I want you and everyone else to head back to the rendezvous and see if you can catch up with the Dragon. I'm going to the hospital to check on my brothers."

"Got it, boss," Hack answered and hung up. Inazuma and Terry nodded at their orders and took off as well. Sabo knew that trying to drive to the hospital in this chaos was a stupid notion and decided to walk to the hospital. It was only a mile or so away.

When he arrived a half an hour later, he was hoping for good news. He got half and half. Ace was still in the ER, but with non-life threatening injuries. He was going to be held overnight because he'd had to have blood transfusions, but otherwise he was in fair shape.

"Bro, I don't know who you sent, but holy hell was it effective," Ace praised him undeservingly. "One minute this hit man is getting ready to slice necks, the next he's walking off and pissing and moaning about being lucky to be paid in advance. That guy, the red-haired guy, I don't know who he was but he was perfect."

There were no redheads in the Dragon Revolutionaries except for Koala so Sabo was positive that she was not the one Ace was talking about. But there was no need to worry Ace about that right now since he was getting transfusions. In the meantime, his girlfriend was asleep on a chair in the corner and looking rather pale but fine too. Ace had hit the luck jackpot it seemed.

"I'm gonna go see if I can get some info about Luffy," Sabo told Ace. His brother's demeanor changed abruptly.

"They won't tell me anything except that he's in critical condition," Ace complained. "The old fuck told them that I'm not his biological brother. He probably told the nurses the same about you."

"I can fool them," Sabo assured him. "Luffy and I kind of look alike."

Ace half smiled. "Yeah. You kind of do."

Sabo headed up a couple floors to the ICU and saw the old fuck in question. Well, beating around the bush wasn't going to get him anywhere so he just went straight to the old man. Garp saw him and paused in talking to a nurse for a moment before resuming his conversation.

"And he will be in the ICU for how long?" Garp asked.

"At least twenty four hours after surgery," the nurse replied. "His wounds must be given time to heal and he will be on the ventilator for at least two days."

Sabo snorted a laugh. His brother wouldn't last two days with a ventilator unless he was unconscious. Otherwise he'd be pulling it out himself trying to get food in his stomach.

"And the other boy? Ussop?" Garp continued. Sabo couldn't remember which one Ussop was.

"Also in the ICU. The bone fragments from the splintered rib have been removed, but the damage it did to the lung needs to be closely monitored," the nurse replied. "The other two boys have been checked and discharged with minor injuries, but I believe both of them are still in the waiting room."

Garp nodded his thanks and finally deemed it time to address Sabo. Garp gave him a dissatisfied look.

"Was it really necessary to blow up the building?" Garp asked rhetorically. "Do you know how much that destruction is going to cost this city?"

"Do you know how many yakuza members were trapped in the garage?" Sabo returned as disdainfully. "How many pieces of shit won't be roaming the streets anymore or getting off on technicalities or probation?"

Garp hardly looked appeased.

"I suppose I shouldn't expect that much from a delinquent runaway who follows a terrorist," Garp surmised.

"Don't forget that terrorist is _your_ son," Sabo returned. "And you know you're grateful. It's just your civic duty to be upset at me."

"A little notice of when this was going to start would have been nice as well," Garp nitpicked. "I had no time to scramble my men. Half of them had not even made it to our base of operations for a briefing when you started shooting up the building."

"Luffy kicked someone out the window first," Sabo tattled like a two year old. "You wanted me to let him fair on his own? He was doing a bang up job of that, if the bullet they pulled out of his lung is any indication."

Garp sighed heavily. "I did actually like you two boys, you know? But the bigger you got, the worse your attitudes became. I can only hope that Luffy doesn't follow in your delinquent footsteps and that Ace actually follows his little girlfriend to college."

"Because I'm a lost cause," Sabo surmised.

"You, son," Garp told him honestly, "were never a lost cause. Or unimportant to me. You just didn't want to see things a certain way anymore after the fire."

Sabo shook out his shoulders and stretched his neck at the reminder of the fire that burned half of his face off. It was a moment in his life he had a hard time thinking, let alone talking about. It always made him have to shake off the feelings of being trapped, even if he was standing in an open hallway like he was now.

"I was hoping to see you with a little yakuza brat," Garp changed the subject. "But you are alone. Tell me, is Nami down in the ER too by chance?"

Sabo shrugged. Who the fuck was Nami? What did this Nami person have to do with him? Wait, didn't Ace say something about a girl that Luffy was friends with? Maybe her name was Nami.

"I came here alone," Sabo informed him. "As far as I know, Ace is the only one in the ER right now."

"Don't tell me you blew the building without getting all of the Mermaids out," Garp supposed. "Because I have fifteen women accounted for, and Nami is not among them."

"Look I don't know," Sabo sighed in agitation. "My contact told me that all of the Mermaids were out of the building when it blew. So if you had someone on the ground after that rat-faced guy showed up and before the building blew, then you should have seen them come out."

"She wasn't accounted for with the other Mermaids," Garp insisted, that usual disapproval in his voice. Damn it, Sabo could never do anything right in that old man's eyes.

"Well then I don't know what to tell you," Sabo returned irritably. The green-haired kid came over towards them. Sabo was going to ignore him but he spoke up to say something that he couldn't ignore.

"Nami was on the sixteenth floor with us," the kid let them know. "She sacrificed herself so we could get on the elevator when it came."

Sabo gave the kid a look of utter disbelief. "No way. The only one up there with you guys was that orange-haired girl."

The kid gave him an exasperated look. "That was Nami."

No it wasn't. It couldn't have been. There was no way that the world was that small. That the girl that Sabo had been obsessing over for the last six weeks was Luffy's friend from school.

But they were the same age. And the orange-haired girl had stolen his phone to call someone to warn them about an assassin. Ace had been attacked by a hit-man while guarding this Nami's sister. The girl had seemed to lose her grip on reality when Sabo told her he was talking to Ace.

It must be her then. The orange-haired girl must be Nami.

"She's…she's at Flevance Clinic," Sabo stuttered, in a daze. "There was a kid there who said she'd been treated there before, and downtown was gridlocked, so they took her there."

Before he'd even finished speaking, Sabo was already heading for the lobby. He suddenly felt like there was something very wrong. Not just that he'd been totally shocked by Nami's identity. But that the fact that Garp was so concerned about her whereabouts and that she'd been so deep in the syndicate that something else was going on. Something that was giving off bad vibes.

Of course, Garp was on his heels. Sabo would have left the old man in the dust if it weren't for the fact that police lights made traffic get the fuck out of the way and that Garp seemed to know where this Flevance Clinic was.

Garp didn't bitch about Sabo hitching a ride with him, but Sabo suspected that was because Garp was on the phone with one of his subordinates, Smoker or something. They were well into the ride when Garp finally hung up the phone and actually spoke to him.

"You really had no idea?" Garp asked.

"I only met her once," Sabo told him. "I was finishing up a casing job and saw her on a park bench destroying a bottle of whiskey. I thought I'd steal her whiskey but she caught me off guard and I—"

What the hell did he think he was about to say? Was he really about to admit that he'd fucked her? Sabo shook his head and tried to pull his thoughts back together. He was _not_ discussing his sex life with Garp.

"I found out she was supposed to become a Mermaid," Sabo finished, adjusting what he was about to say. "It bothered me because she was Luffy's age. That's why I started digging into this yakuza."

"That girl has been a part of that yakuza for at least six months," Garp replied. "We've been tracking her movements for that long, anyway. It might have been earlier than that."

"She was eight," Sabo blurted out. "She told me she was eight when she joined. That she was a Messenger until about six weeks ago. Then she got…promoted."

Garp sighed deeply. "Eight years old."

"That's what she told me, anyway," Sabo shook himself, still trying to get back his cool. He shouldn't be so shaken over something stupid like this. "She could have been lying."

"What else did she tell you?" Garp pumped for information.

"That's it," Sabo lamented. "Obviously, she didn't even tell me her name."

Garp was giving him a scrutinizing look. Sabo didn't like it. He hated how the old man was always so critical of the three of them. Always like he would have done something different if he were in their shoes. Well, the bastard wasn't and he could go to hell.

"How much longer?" Sabo snapped, tired of the eyeballing.

"Longer for you if I kick your sorry butt out of this car and let you walk the rest of the way," Garp replied. "If you calm down, I'll let you stay in the car and it will take about two minutes."

It was the longest two minutes of Sabo's life, it seemed. Not even when the burning building had collapsed on himself and he'd spent nine hours underneath burning embers and half of his face had been seared off had it seemed this long. Sabo felt another shudder run through his shoulders.

"Just so you know," Garp spoke up as he pulled up in front of a clinic and double parked, "my grandson is in love with that girl. Keep that in mind if you decide that you and your… _organization_ are going to spirit her away."

"Fuck off, old man!" Sabo snapped, jumping out of the car before Garp had even turned if off.

Sabo had been trying to not think about that for the last fifteen minutes. Because it was obvious in the way that Ace spoke of Luffy and Nami together, that was the case. Luffy clearly loved Nami. Sabo didn't want to take something away from his little brother, but he also didn't want to let go of the orange-haired girl he was sure he'd fallen in love with too.

Sabo burst inside the clinic and saw that there was a man and woman already there questioning the man in a lab coat. Well, actually, it was the woman doing the questioning and the man trying to calm her down. The doctor wasn't getting a word in edgewise.

"Belle, he can't answer you if you don't give him a chance," the man was saying.

"Don't you dare fucking patronize me, Chaser," the woman, Belle, snapped at the man. "I'm not having a good day and you tell me my daughter is here and now _he_ won't let me see her!"

Well, the Chaser guy must be Smoker or whatever, the man in charge of wrangling Nami's mother. Sabo was glad that he was not in charge of such a task.

"Ma'am, I will let you see her if you promise me that you will not wake her," the doctor was speaking though Belle was hollering right over him. "She's been through the worst kind of trauma and needs rest to help her mind and body recuperate."

"I am her mother and I know what she needs," Belle went on. "Don't you dare tell me how to raise my daughter. And she needs a chewing out! That girl—she should have never—thought to do such a thing!"

And now the woman was crying. Sabo didn't stick around to watch the water works. He just cleared the room in five long strides and headed for the door that led to the private rooms. There were two doors, neither marked, so he figured he had a fifty-fifty chance.

The first door he chose was locked. Sabo frowned but picked the lock in about twenty seconds. He opened the door to a dark room, but from the ambient light he could see that though there was a bed in this room and it had been used, there was no one in it. Sabo flipped on the light and looked around the room. There wasn't much in it aside from the bed and a few medical monitors. There was literally nowhere to hide.

Wrong room then.

Sabo left the room and moved onto the next door. It was unlocked and led to a hallway. Sabo followed it and came upon a kitchen area as well as a staircase heading up to presumably the second floor. This was the doctor's living quarters then.

"Excuse me, but just who are you?"

Sabo saw that he'd been spotted by one of the house's inhabitants. A mid-thirties looking woman was staring at him with a displeased expression on her face. Sabo briefly contemplated not answering her, but also needed information.

"Is there another way out of here besides the front door?" Sabo asked, ignoring her question. She didn't look happy at that.

"Just who do you think you—" she started, but Sabo cut her off.

"One of the patients is missing," Sabo interrupted. "She's not in the room she's supposed to be in. Is there another way out besides the front door?"

The woman frowned at him but seemed to listen this time. "The back door is that way."

She pointed around the side of the room where the refrigerator was and Sabo went for it. He saw a back door and went through it, but it ended in a fenced in yard.

Could a girl with three bullet wounds get herself out of a fenced in yard? Sabo didn't believe it, but Nami was gone.

"Fuck," he muttered, wishing he'd never let her go off without him.

* * *

 **A/N:** Been awhile. Sorry 'bout that. I mentioned in the last chapter that I would be uploading less often. I intend from hereon out to post monthly.


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three: Zoro

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Zoro**

Fucking early.

Zoro had no idea what time it was, but it wasn't dawn yet but had passed into morning hours. The last twenty-odd hours had left him drained and wanting to go home, but the need to make sure his one true friend would survive won out over his lethargy. When word finally came that Luffy had made it through surgery and been taken down to intensive care, Zoro had decided he would sleep on the hospital couches while waiting for Luffy to wake up.

He should have known that Luffy would wake up almost instantly. He hadn't eaten since brunch. It was the first time Zoro had been inclined to laugh over the last day to see Luffy gesturing wildly at his stomach while a nurse told him to hold still so he didn't disturb the breathing tube and they called the doctor.

Luffy looked like shit, no doubt about it, but he was alive and kicking. It was then that Zoro decided he could go home to sleep. He didn't, however, make it out of the intensive care unit before Luffy got a hold of a pen and paper, and after writing down about thirty things he wanted to eat, his first question was regarding the whereabouts of Nami.

Zoro, who prided himself on never being a coward, took up the responsibility to explain to Luffy that Nami was gone. Again. Luffy visibly deflated for a few moments before he began demanding food again. Zoro knew Luffy better than to think he'd dismissed Nami's second disappearance, but attributed his immediate desire for food would help him heal faster so he could go find her again.

Because somehow Zoro knew it would be Luffy who would find Nami.

Garp was obligated to stay at the hospital with Ace and Luffy, so Sanji and Zoro were left to their own devices to get home. Sanji took a taxi, seeing as he lived so much farther away than himself, which left Zoro to walk home on his own.

Sure, that pervert cook-boy offered to go halves on a taxi for them both, but Zoro wanted to walk home. He wanted to get away from the hoards of people he felt constant irritation with and contemplate his own failure with no one trying to make pleasantries with him.

It was a failure. Plain and simple.

They hadn't had much of a chance to succeed in the first place, truth be told, but all four of them had managed to get up to the sixteenth floor of that building and be close enough to physically touch Nami, yet she had needed to sacrifice herself so that they could get away. He'd failed his friend.

Not Nami. No, Nami definitely was _not_ Zoro's friend. He liked to think of her as an occasional ally that couldn't be trusted. But it was more than a stranger and more than an enemy, so he did find it disappointing that he couldn't save her. He'd have loved to lord that over her and make her forget about the blender incident forever.

Ussop was probably close to a friend, but Zoro wasn't sure about him yet. Though the day's events made him rise in Zoro's estimation. It was no secret that Ussop had more brains than balls and could talk himself out of anything, but today he'd manned-up and came through for them. Plus his knife throwing was on-fucking-point.

That walking hormone that called himself a cook was definitely not Zoro's friend either. But he was a great stick-board for insults and Zoro didn't hate the time that he spent with the blonde. At least, not all of it. Probably only about a quarter of it. Because that dart-browed sissy-cook spent at least a quarter of his day spouting on and on about his adoration to the female population, whether or not a female was around to hear it.

But Luffy, he was Zoro's only friend. The only one who had managed to overcome Zoro's desire to be solitary. He didn't pick or nag; he simply was there and liked Zoro to be there with him. He only wanted Zoro's company and nothing more. So today, when he'd showed up at Zoro's house with that look on his face, Zoro had known that whatever they were about to do was important to Luffy. So thereby it was important to Zoro.

And he'd _failed._

He wasn't strong enough. He wasn't fast enough. He wasn't _good_ enough.

"Fuck!" Zoro spat, wallowing in his failure as he walked home.

He was going to have to be stronger. Train harder. Be better. He wouldn't fail again. This failure, almost exactly like his last failure, left the one he deemed important nearly dead in a hospital bed. He was determined that Luffy would _not_ end up like—

Who the fuck was that?

Zoro had just stepped onto the street where his apartment was and saw someone standing under a light post next to his apartment building. Almost like they were waiting for something. Waiting for him?

 _Well, fucker, sword or not, you're gonna get it._

Zoro stepped up his pace to a fast walk as he approached the stranger. The stranger, garbed in oversized jeans and a hoodie, seemed to notice his approach and somewhat wobbily kicked off from the light post and hobbled away.

Oh yeah. This fucker was going down! They thought they could try to jump him in front of his own apartment? Guess again, asshole.

Zoro caught up easily to the limping figure and grabbed hold of their shoulder, yanking them around. The girlish cry was unexpected, but Zoro wasn't about to back down now. He pulled his fist back and lined it up with her jaw—

"Nami?"

.o0o.

It was still early as fuck. Like still two hours before he would normally get up and go to the dojo. So Zoro was not as sure of his mental faculties as he usually was. Plus, there was always the possibility that he had been jumped from behind and knocked out and was having a really bizarre dream as a result.

"I'm too tired for this shit," he mumbled as he dragged the hoodie laden girl up the stairs to his apartment. She wouldn't say anything; hell he couldn't get her to even look at him. She was kind of comatose or something. But the two of them on the street together was a bad thing so he started dragging her to his apartment.

No way was she getting away this time.

"Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you've put everyone through?" he whisper-yelled at her, trying not to wake the neighbors. He didn't want the cops on his doorstep with an injured fugitive in his apartment. That wouldn't go down well.

He didn't get an answer. No surprise. He pulled a little bit harder on her and she whined again and fell on the steps. Great. Just fucking great.

"The hell's the matter with you?" Zoro spat, looking down at her. "You a zombie now? Is that the new thing? Since your crime syndicate days are over."

Nothing. Not a damn thing. Not a look, not a word. Nothing.

Zoro walked back down a few steps and took a good look at her. It was kind of dark out and the hoodie she had on was black (or maybe a navy or something) but the jeans were of a lighter wash but had a dark stain that was getting bigger on her right leg.

Oh yeah, she'd shot herself there. The left arm, too. His dragging her around was probably not too good for the wounds. But still, he'd been pulling on her right arm, so she should be fine. He reached down and meant to lift under her arms to get her to standing again but the right shoulder of the hoodie was wet. When he pulled his hand away, he saw that it was stained dark too.

Blood.

Great. She was bleeding. A lot. Could this day get any fucking better?

He sighed in agitation and picked her up. She wasn't light as a feather, but she wasn't as heavy as she should have been. She must have been malnourished in her time at the stronghold. He hadn't noticed before, but she'd been heavily doused in makeup then.

"Damn it, I just came from the hospital," he griped as he started to descend the steps.

"No!" Nami cried, louder than was good for zero-dark-thirty in the morning.

"Shh!" Zoro hissed back, looking around to see if any neighbor's lights came on. Luckily, none did. "Listen, you're bleeding and I've got to get you to a hospital—"

"I was already there," she replied, though her tone was off. "I left. I'm fine. I'll be fine. Just let me be."

Zoro looked closely in the darkness and saw that she wasn't looking at him. Her eyes were glazed over and she seemed to be answering out of reflex. Like she didn't even know where she was or who she was with. She looked zoned out, but whether it was from some pain meds or in reaction to the pain of her wounds, Zoro couldn't tell.

After a few moments deliberation, Zoro began trudging back up to his apartment. He could go in and turn on a light and see just how bad her wounds were. If they were as bad as he thought, he could call Smoker to come take her to the hospital. Zoro didn't trust cops, but Smoker wasn't a cop anymore and hadn't been too much of a shitty one when he was.

Getting in the door was tricky, but Zoro managed it. He got Nami in and took her straight to the bathroom. With the light on, Zoro could see that the hoodie was in fact a deep navy color with a yellow smiley face drawn on it that looked like a child's art design. Whatever. He peeled her out of it.

Nudity didn't bother Zoro. He'd seen enough porn by the age of sixteen that he knew what naked people looked like and wasn't exactly turned on by it anymore. Maybe that should have bothered him. But his focus was on being the best at Kendo, not being the best at fucking, so he didn't really mind too much.

What did bother him was the fact that Nami just didn't do anything. She should have been shy, or outraged, or trying to cover herself. Or something. But instead she was just sitting there on the bathroom floor where he'd set her down, oblivious to the fact that she was being stripped nude. And in addition to the bullet wound that was on her left forearm, there was also one in her right shoulder.

Both wounds were dressed and presumably stitched underneath, but the blood seeping through the shoulder dressing told Zoro that he'd have to check to be sure. He peeled away the gauze and tape and saw that yes, her wound was stitched, but that some of the stitches had busted.

That was probably his fault.

Well, he couldn't restitch wounds, but he could rebandage them. And the blood was just oozing now, not the steady stream he'd been expecting. It would probably be fine if she stayed still and didn't try to move too much over the next couple days.

He redressed her shoulder and took a look at her forearm, but it was fine. Next he pulled her out of the jeans and sneakers that were about ten sizes too big for her to see that she was completely naked under these oversized clothes. Where was her underwear?

Whatever. The wound in her leg was bleeding through the bandage too, so he removed it and saw that it was bleeding pretty badly. She'd managed to pop at least four stitches. That, he didn't blame himself for. She shouldn't have been walking on that leg with a bullet wound. She should be lying down.

Well, technically, she was lying down now, but that wasn't what he meant. The best he could do for her was to wrap her leg up tight and hope that the bleeding slowed. If it didn't, she'd be hospital bound, like it or not. As he wrapped her leg, he contemplated what to do with her.

Other than wipe the blood off.

She couldn't stay at his place. Her mother was still looking for her. And the police. Zoro didn't know who would be worse if they found her. Nami's mother seemed like a bull and even Nami herself had admitted to times when she couldn't handle her mother's nagging. She'd face hard time locked up no matter who got to her.

"Zoro?"

Zoro looked up to see that Nami had regained some…what? Vitality? Sense? Something. There was something in her eyes now that hadn't been there before. She was less zombie-like.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," he muttered at her as he wiped her down with a wash cloth. She watched him and seemed to take on a frown at her nudity. Finally.

"You don't have to do that," she told him, trying to sit up and take the cloth from him. He pushed her good shoulder down.

"I know I don't," he dismissed.

"I can take care of myself—" she tried to pull on him, but Zoro was ready for that bullshit.

"Listen, I ain't doin' this for free," he told her, wiping away the last of the blood. "I've been thinking. You can stay here for a couple days and recuperate, and I won't call the cops or Smoker. But you're going to have to forget about the blender incident. Forever. Got it?"

Nami closed her eyes and a slight smile came to her lips. "Deal."

Small miracle. Now if only he could get through the next couple of days without anyone busting him with her here in his apartment.

"Besides," Nami went on, "I also know about the time with the cherry blossom tree."

Zoro went still.

"You fucking bitch."

.o0o.

Zoro did not like living with anyone. Living alone was his preference. Nami was proving that to him every day she stayed. It was a rough first night to say the least; she'd woken up screaming with nightmares most of the time. After the first one, Zoro had elected to sleep next to her (he'd had her on the spare futon on the other side of the room at first) to wake her quicker as to not bother the neighbors.

There were less nightmares over the next two days, but much more attitude. Nami was not a nice injured person. Even to someone she owed a debt to. Because sure as fuck, dealing with her bitchy ass was worth both the blender incident _and_ the cherry blossom tree debacle.

A result of the bitchiness, Zoro had been spending a lot of time at the hospital, too. Sensei had pretty much banned him from practicing at the dojo while he 'recovered' (Zoro knew that was Sensei's way of punishing him for getting into another fight) so Zoro had a ton of time on his hands. He wasn't going to spend it around Miss Pissy Pants.

He'd had to buy her clothes too. There was no way he was going to let her wander around in his clothes. Fuck that. He had no idea whose clothes she'd stolen in order to get around after her supposed hospital stint, but he wasn't giving up any clothes to her. So he went to the nearest cheapo store and picked up the first thing he saw on the woman shaped mannequin. Two thousand berries later he was thinking pretty hard about demanding the money off of her as soon as he got back to his apartment and then charging her crabby ass interest when she didn't have any. It would serve her right.

The joke was on him; she pulled two thousand berries out of the pants he'd found her in.

Regardless, she was clothed and cranky and he was visiting the hospital to watch Luffy mend. Bullets to the lung were not easy heals; he was going to be hospitalized for at least three weeks. So when school started up again, Luffy would probably miss at least two weeks of it being in the hospital and possibly more depending on his discharge instructions.

Luffy had his breathing tube out and ate much more than the doctors told him to. He even had Zoro and Ussop (now that he was up and about) and Sanji too when he was allowed to come visit (Zeff had supposedly grounded him for life or something but Sanji kept telling the old man to fuck off) going down to the cafeteria to buy him more food.

And that old fuck Garp would roll in a couple of times a day to bitch about Nami being missing again. Like he had yesterday, when he'd tried to rally them for another search party. Zoro had stayed home this morning through the bitchiness to avoid it, but finally around ten o'clock he could endure no more and was on his way to the hospital.

Zoro, for the first time in his life, could not wait to go back to school. He didn't want to deal with any of these problems anymore. This was why he didn't want friends. Well, at least part of it. It was a lot more work than it was worth and he would have rather practiced at home with his sword but that old fuck Garp had confiscated it.

Bastard.

"Where the fuck were you this morning, snot hair?"

Fuck. It was too…too something in the day for that sissy-cook.

"The fuck business is it of yours?" Zoro returned, turning to face the blonde. Sanji was just outside of the hospital and smoking a cigarette.

"We were supposed to be looking for Nami again this morning," Sanji informed him. "Garp told us yesterday. Or were you sleeping again?"

No, Zoro hadn't been sleeping. But he'd been deliberately avoiding listening to that old fuck Garp about going out looking for a girl who was hiding in his apartment.

"Look, you ain't my keeper, so butt the hell out, alright?" Zoro replied. Sanji sneered at him and threw the cigarette on the ground and stomped it out with vigor. "The fuck's your problem today?"

"Other than Nami's missing _again_ and you've got about as much enthusiasm for looking for her as Luffy did a couple weeks ago?" Sanji surmised. "Luffy tore some stitches this morning. He had bleeding in the lung again. He was put back on the ventilator for awhile."

"Son of a bitch," Zoro muttered, heading for the hospital entrance again. Sanji was following him in.

"And Ussop's at home with a cold," Sanji went on as they boarded the elevator. "His immune system was weak from healing the wounds he'd had so he caught a nasty virus and is practically bed ridden according to his mother."

"Just keeps getting better and better," Zoro muttered again. Sanji continued to bitch all the way to Luffy's room, but finally, as they crossed the threshold, the blonde shut the fuck up. Luffy was indeed back on the ventilator, but the vigor was not gone from his eyes. He looked positively thrilled to see them. His hands flopped around aimlessly for a few moments as they searched out the pad of paper and pen.

 _Did you find Nami?_

"No," Sanji answered. "We didn't find her. But your grandfather doesn't think that she's being held against her will by someone. He thinks she's hiding."

 _Why?_

"I wish I knew," Sanji lamented.

 _When can I get off this thing?_

"Have you asked the nurse?" Sanji inquired. Zoro sighed. When Sanji answered Luffy's questions, it always seemed like a parent trying to placate a child. Luffy was fifteen, but not really a child anymore, so Zoro found it annoying.

 _She said maybe this afternoon._

Sanji checked his phone. "We can ask in an hour then."

Luffy visibly deflated. Zoro sighed again.

"Where's your brother?" Zoro asked.

 _Which one?_

"Ace," Zoro clarified.

 _With Nojiko._

"Again? What, are they fucking?" Zoro complained. Sanji hissed.

"Don't be crude," he complained. "Ace is responsible for looking over Nami's sister right now."

 _She doesn't like me._

Zoro snorted. "She's Nami's sister. She's going to be stuck up to people who don't do things the way she wants."

"You ass!" Sanji snapped. "She's emotionally damaged right now. Of course she's resentful of Luffy! She's pissed at us too! She thinks it's our fault Nami has disappeared again."

"She's a bitch, just like her sister," Zoro diagnosed.

"You shut your fucking mouth!" Sanji snapped again, this time kicking him for good measure. Zoro raised his fists. He wasn't as good with judo as he was with kendo, but he'd make do.

Luffy's monitors began beeping. The two looked at Luffy and saw that he looked like he was struggling to breathe again. Sanji jammed his thumb down on the nurse call button. After a moment, though, the struggling died down and Luffy began writing again.

 _You guys are so funny!_

The nurse bustled in asked what was the matter. Zoro pointed at Sanji, who had the crappy task of explaining to the nurse that he'd mistaken Luffy's laughing on the ventilator as struggling for breathing. After scolding them all that they shouldn't be making Luffy laugh in the first place, she checked some monitors and promised to call the doctor to see if they could remove the ventilator.

The afternoon passed slowly. Zoro couldn't bicker with Sanji too much without the possibility of making Luffy laugh. The doctor came in an hour after Luffy's laughing fit and said they were taking him to x-ray to see if there was any more bleeding in his lung. It took another hour after that for someone in x-ray to actually show up to take Luffy down. He was gone a grand total of twenty minutes, in which Zoro decided it was a good time to go down to the food court and secure Luffy some food for when the ventilator came out.

But it was another two hours after Luffy came back from x-ray before the doctor came back and decided the ventilator could be removed. In the meantime, Luffy kept writing up lists of foods he wanted to eat as soon as the ventilator was out.

It was all for naught. The doctor put Luffy on a liquid diet for the next twenty-four hours. The only upside was that Luffy could drink as much as he wanted. Zoro texted Ace to bring back five milkshakes when he finally decided to roll his ass in to see his brother.

Ace's response was to fuck off.

Garp showed up around six and sent the two boys home. He wanted to talk to his grandson about the yakuza incident again and didn't need anyone interfering or interjecting this time. So Zoro and Sanji were sent on their way.

Sanji called a cab and stood outside of the hospital waiting for it while Zoro walked home. A couple times, he felt like he was being followed, so he took a long route home, going down alleys and double backing a couple times in order to lose his pursuer. Whoever it was didn't lose him until he reached the bus station and got on. Zoro boarded a bus heading to the south side of town but got off after one stop.

Satisfied that he didn't feel like he was followed anymore, Zoro resumed his trek home. Unfortunately, he'd done so many twists and turns throughout the day that he got lost three times and ended up at the bus station again. Finally, about two hours later than he'd planned, he got to his apartment.

Dinner was going to be leftover take out. In all of his wanderings, Zoro hadn't strolled past a food cart so there was nothing to eat. He let himself in and saw Nami on the futon sleeping. Damn, he was jealous. He wished he could sleep all day. That or train. But Sensei said no more kendo until school started up again, so sleeping was high on the list of wants.

"Wake up," Zoro called, nudging her with his toe. "Get up, Nami. Take a bath. I'll reheat some food."

Nami slowly inclined to an upright position and then pulled on his arm to get herself standing. He endured it as he had for the last week, but at least he didn't have to carry her anymore. Her leg was starting to heal and didn't look like some roughly stitched meat anymore.

Nami limped to the bathroom while Zoro took up post in the kitchen. He took out some yakisoba and some takoyaki and heated both up in the microwave. While he was waiting for the food to cook, there was a knock at his door.

Zoro debated not answering, and pretending that no one was home. But the buzzer on the microwave went off while he was debating and ruined that plan. But then he could hear the shower running and thought maybe he could play off the microwave going off if it sounded like he was in the shower. The knocking died down and Zoro wondered if his potential visitor had finally given up. But as soon as the sound of the shower stopped, the knocking started again.

Zoro wasn't about to answer the door. Whoever it was, they should have text him if they knew him. And if they didn't know him, he didn't need to see them. That was his thought on the matter.

However, the knocking continued relentlessly until it turned to pounding on the door. Zoro's short temper was lit and he walked to the door and yelled through it.

"Who the hell is it?" he barked through the door.

"It's me, you cretin," Sanji's voice floated back.

Ugh. Zoro did not want to deal with that lovesick blonde. Not at all.

"Beat it. I've had enough of dealing with you today," Zoro told him.

"Fuck you. I need to ask you some questions about Nami," Sanji barked back. "Do you want me to yell them through the door, or do you want to let me in and talk like civilized people."

"I want you to go away," Zoro answered honestly. "Whatever you have to ask can wait until I'm forced to hang around you tomorrow. How the hell do you know where I live anyway?"

Nami had come out of the bathroom and limped toward the main apartment area to see what the yelling was. She gave Zoro a curious look before she heard Sanji's voice and then looked panicked.

"I followed your directionally challenged ass on your way home," Sanji replied. So that's who had been following him. The piece of shit!

"Look, you fairy-faced twitching cock," Zoro insulted through the door. He heard a clatter behind him and saw that Nami had tripped on some of his dumbbells and gone down. The look on her face was agony as she bit her lip trying to not cry out.

Zoro turned to help her just as the door to his apartment buckled under Sanji's kick. Zoro then wasn't sure what to do: help Nami or kill Sanji. Probably kill Sanji. Yeah, that would be best. Especially since the moment he stepped through the door, Sanji's eyes locked on Nami and his mouth opened wide. Probably to yell, but Zoro was quicker than that. He punched the blonde in the throat and followed it with a solid strike to the stomach.

Sanji, caught off guard, fell to his knees and grasped his middle as he gasped for air. He looked up at Zoro with equal murder in his eyes.

"Please Sanji," Nami's voice interrupted. "You have to be quiet!"

Reluctantly, Sanji's face turned back towards Nami with a look of hurt and confusion on it. Nami had her hands up and was gesturing gently towards him.

"I promise, I'll explain, but you have to be quiet," she insisted. Sanji finally got the gist of things and sat up on his knees, rubbing his throat.

"I'm going to kill you some day you fucking marimo," Sanji gurgled from his mangled throat. "But for now, I will listen to Nami-san. Please tell me what is going on."

Sanji came into the apartment fully and Zoro closed his door, though the deadbolt was broken on it now. As Sanji pulled himself back together, Zoro helped Nami over to the futon. She sat down and still looked overly nervous in Zoro's opinion, but she wasn't panicked. Finally, she spoke.

"I'm here, with Zoro, because I'm hiding from some people who are trying to find me," Nami told him. Sanji nearly burst out with his rebuttal.

"But _we_ have been trying to find you," Sanji replied. "Why are you hiding from us?"

"It's dangerous for me right now," Nami told him. "I can't really go into specifics without endangering you, but there are people who weren't in that building when it came down that will be looking for me. And I won't be safe with anyone. I'm not safe here with Zoro, but I trust that Zoro can take care of himself if trouble comes up for him."

It was probably the closest thing to a compliment that Nami had ever said about him. Zoro didn't like her, but that compliment spoke volumes. She had confidence in him over everyone else she knew not to end up dead if things went south. He may have despised her slightly less after that.

"Are you okay, Nami-san?" Sanji asked, taking in her bandages. They'd been changed each time she had bled through them, but the leg that she'd shot was a fierce red color and swollen still.

"I'm relatively okay," Nami assured him. "Nothing I can't live through."

"But you've been shot two—no, three times according to Sabo," Sanji insisted. "That was two weeks ago! Luffy's still in the hospital from being shot and Ussop still hasn't recovered from being shot through some books."

"I'm fine," Nami repeated, but Sanji was on a streak. Zoro figured it was all the concern he'd been bottling up over the last couple weeks making its way out of him, but it was still annoying as hell to listen to.

"She said she's fine, shit for brains," Zoro spoke up finally to end the streak. "And she is. Or I'd cart her off to the nearest hospital."

He'd do no such thing, but Sanji didn't know that. Thankfully, Sanji piped down a little bit.

"You should come out of hiding," Sanji began. "We can protect you now. There's no need for you to be on the run anymore. The yakuza's been destroyed, and anyone who made it out of that building alive is in police custody."

"Except me," Nami pointed out. Sanji opened his mouth to say something, but Nami was quicker. "And don't you dare lie to me and say that I won't be put in to police custody, whether it be for 'protection' or otherwise."

Sanji closed his mouth. He must have realized that Nami was right.

Zoro had not talked to Nami about the possibility of her turning herself in. Well, truthfully, they didn't talk about anything beyond Luffy or what was for dinner. But Zoro started to wonder what was out there for Nami in terms of returning to her family.

"Nami-san, you're injured," Sanji tried again. "You need medical attention. Your leg is likely inflamed because of infection or worse. At a hospital—"

"No hospitals," Nami cut him off with a heat that Zoro was sort of impressed by.

"What can I do to convince you to return to a normal life?" Sanji implored. Nami simply shook her head silently at him, indicating that there was nothing.

"Now, Sanji, what can I do to convince you that it is in my best interests right now to stay hidden?" Nami countered. Sanji took on a defiant look. Nami gave him a shrewd look for a few moments.

"Zoro, why did you guys come for me alone?" Nami asked out of the blue.

"Because Luffy's old man would have made us stay behind," Zoro predicted.

"But you guys came for me long before they did," Nami recalled. "Why did you make it there hours before it looked like Garp's men even were ready?"

"Garp was organizing a special ops unit," Sanji answered for Zoro. "Sabo told me about it. Because he—"

Sanji cut off his words immediately. Nami let it be silent for a good half a minute.

"Because what, Sanji?" Nami pressed gently.

"Because he didn't trust some men on the police force," Sanji spat, digging out a cigarette. "Fine, Nami-san, I will stop trying to convince you to come back to us for the moment. But please, please, get some medical attention. You need it."

Nami smiled, forever patient with the blonde. "I will look into my options. I promise. Okay?"

Sanji lit up and took a long drag before nodding. "Alright."

Nami heaved a breath of relief. Zoro looked at the blonde in annoyance. "Hey, Smokey the Blonde, no smoking in these apartments. So get the fuck out."

"You can go fuck yourself," Sanji told him, but got up and went towards the broken door. "You're lucky that Nami finds you capable enough to not get killed, because the moment I get you alone, I'm gonna try."

"Good," Zoro baited. "I've needed a good work out since that building went down."

"Oh, I'll give you more than a work out," Sanji promised. Standing by the broken door he waited until Zoro got close enough to close the door and spoke quietly. "Thank you for taking care of her."

"Not doing it for you," Zoro said back. It was the truth. Blondie didn't need to know he was doing it so some of his most embarrassing moments in life didn't end up spilled to the world.

"I'll pay the bill for the door," Sanji told him, speaking at a normal tone.

"You're damn right you will," Zoro agreed and closed it in the blonde's face. When he turned back to look at Nami, she had a wary look on her face.

"Do you think he'll tell?" she asked worriedly.

"He'd be insulted that you doubted his honor," Zoro predicted. "No, I don't think he will."

"Good," Nami sighed, flopping back against the futon. Zoro set the food in the microwave to warm up again.

"He's right though," Zoro spoke up. "You need to get that leg looked at."

"I know," Nami answered.

Zoro ate his leftovers in silence with Nami, thinking about Nami's options. She couldn't stay with him forever; he'd lose his mind and she'd nag him to death. But what were her options? He just didn't know. And Zoro believe that the reason Nami had stayed so long with someone she didn't like all that much was because she didn't know either.


	24. Chapter Twenty-Four: Zoro

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Zoro**

The following morning, Zoro got up early. He didn't particularly like early, but school would be starting up again in a week and he needed to get back into the habit since Kendo club started two hours before school did and he would finally be able to train again when school restarted.

Again, Zoro marveled at the thought that he was eager for school to resume.

Zoro went for a jog, feeling the heat and humidity try to suffocate him as he ran. Ugh. It had been too long. How come he could go like two or three weeks without jogging and be back to huffing and puffing like a noob? He'd been jogging five miles a day before school ended.

When he got back to the apartment, Nami was awake and cranky, so he took a quick shower and got out of there as soon as he possibly could. He wasn't dealing with her ass today, especially early in the morning. Besides, visiting hours started at eight in the morning so Zoro could go visit Luffy and be in much better company.

On the way to the hospital, he picked up two sacks of food. Both were for Luffy. He doubted the poor kid had been fed decently on his liquid diet and Zoro knew that he'd be ravenous when he got there. Screw the whole waiting twenty-four hours. There was nothing wrong with Luffy's stomach.

Zoro spotted Smoker's car on the way into the hospital. Figured. If the lawyer was there, most likely Nami's mother and sister were there too. The two of them were such pains to deal with. Nojiko gave off more attitude that Nami some days and the woman called Belle, well, she looked like she was wasting away. It was sickening to watch.

Worse still, Sanji was already at the hospital too. When Zoro entered Luffy's room, the only person who looked happy to see him was Luffy, and Zoro suspected that it was partly due to the food he carried. Ace was sleeping off in a corner of the room with that girl Nojiko on his lap and Sanji was sitting by Luffy and talking to him.

Not seeing Smoker in the room, Zoro dropped off the food and made up the excuse that he had to go to the bathroom. It wasn't a lie, but Zoro didn't plan to come straight back. He was looking for Smoker.

Zoro had thought a lot about Nami's options the previous night and came to the conclusion that he needed advice from someone that could be at least somewhat reliable. Zoro didn't exactly trust the ex-cop, but he didn't think he was the worst person to go to for advice. Lawyers couldn't tell your secrets if you confided in them, right?

In the waiting room area, Zoro found Smoker with Nami's mother again. No big surprise there. The woman looked like a train wreck. Her Mohawk hair hadn't seen a brush in a couple days and the woman herself probably hadn't seen a bed in just as many days. The deep, dark circles under her eyes suggested that she was on at least her second or third—probably third—day without sleep.

"What can I help you with, Mr. Roronoa?" Smoker asked with a tinge of annoyance in his voice. Now that Zoro looked at him, he seemed a little bedraggled too. Huh.

"Got a minute?" Zoro asked.

"Not really," Smoker muttered. "Can this wait a day or two?"

"Not really," Zoro responded alike.

"It's okay Chaser," the woman assured him. I'll just go see if I can get Nojiko to leave her little boy toy for awhile so we can go grab a bite together."

Though the woman spoke to Smoker directly, she had that same zombie-like look in her eyes that Nami had the night Zoro had run into her. Maybe that weird detached state ran in the family or something.

Smoker sighed deeply as he watched Nami's mother walk away and head towards Luffy's room.

"What is it?" Smoker asked, turning to Zoro when the doors closed. He didn't look upset with Zoro, just probably as dead ass tired as Zoro thought he looked.

"Can I count on you for keeping your mouth shut about what I'm about to talk to you about?" Zoro asked. "Because if you go blab this shit to that old boss of yours, I'm never gonna trust you again."

"Fine, Roronoa, what is it?" Smoker agreed, less amicably.

"What's going to happen to Nami when you find her?" Zoro asked. He wanted to know the truth of it before telling anyone where Nami was.

"She'll be taken into custody as a witness," Smoker told him. Zoro gave him a hard, disbelieving look. "Fine, she'll be taken into custody and depending on what kind of information her interrogation brings to light, she may be held as a juvenile criminal indefinitely."

"You'd be her lawyer?" Zoro guessed. Smoker nodded.

"I would. If she'll let me," he amended. "She has the right to refuse a lawyer and in that case I cannot help her."

Yeah, Nami would probably refuse a lawyer. She was that kind of self-sacrificing martyr that would want to keep everyone she'd ever met in the world safe before herself. Stupid woman.

"What kind of things will they ask about in interrogation?" Zoro quizzed him. Smoker was becoming annoyed with it, Zoro could tell.

"Nami is a suspected member of the former Sawshark yakuza," Smoker told him. "She'll be asked questions in regards to when she joined that yakuza as well as her involvement in all criminal activities therein. If she's deemed a victim rather than a criminal, she'll be placed in protective custody until the time comes when she can testify against the remaining living members of the yakuza."

This was why Zoro went to Smoker. Smoker had been a cop for many years and knew what would happen to Nami if she turned herself in. But being a lawyer, he also knew what would be best for Nami in this case.

"What's in it for Nami then to turn herself in?" he asked, getting to the heart of the matter. Smoker gave him a sharp look. Zoro tried to maintain a neutral look. He didn't know if he actually succeeded.

"Other than reuniting with her family, getting the medical treatment she probably needs, and being protected from rival gang factions," Smoker listed off, "she'll be one step closer to this horrifying ordeal to be over with. It won't end in a day, but maybe in a few months she'll be able to return to a normal life."

"Those aren't too convincing arguments," Zoro appraised. "Back to a normal life in a few months? You do realize she was being held against her will for like a month. You people want to do the same thing for another three months or so? I wouldn't come back either."

"It beats being estranged from your family for the rest of your life," Smoker snapped. "Because I'm giving you the high road. She's got to come in or she's never going to be able to have a peaceful life with her family again. It'll suck for awhile but then she'll have a better life."

"Whatever," Zoro shrugged. It wasn't his life that was going to be screwed up by this.

"So how long has she been staying with you?" Smoker asked. Zoro froze up and then forced himself to act normally.

"She's not," he lied poorly. Smoker could obviously tell.

"Not that I need to tell you the kind of repercussions you might get for aiding and abetting a criminal," Smoker said, "but she's hurt. She needs medical attention, and the sooner the better."

Zoro grimaced and looked up at Smoker lamely. "She already got some. I dunno. She said she went to a hospital and her wounds were stitched up and stuff. I make her stay still so she doesn't tear them open like she did the first night, but I think the pain is pretty bad."

"What happened the first night?" Smoker asked.

"She escaped the hospital," Zoro reminded Smoker, his tone making it sound obvious. "She was terrified that someone was going to find her. I only got her to stay by making a deal with her. I don't know how long that deal will last; probably until the pain dies down enough for her to run again."

"Well, you can tell her what I said," Smoker instructed. "No need to mention that you failed to keep her hiding place a secret. I want her to know the best option so she chooses it. Now excuse me. I have to go make sure that girl's mother eats. She hasn't been taking care of herself at all since Nami's second disappearance. And you can tell her that, too."

Smoker turned and headed for the elevator as well. Zoro watched him go and debated. Was it worth it to stay? Zoro didn't know. He had no family to speak of. Only the dojo. If things got as bad for him as they had for Nami, he'd leave. Nothing except memories that he'd be sad to leave behind.

But Nami may think differently.

.o0o.

It was deceptively quiet in Zoro's apartment when he got back. Usually Nami was pissing and moaning about something when he returned if she was awake, and he had to sate her complaints with updates on Luffy. It was the only thing that ever got her to stop bitching for awhile. So since the apartment was quiet, his guard went up.

Nami was sitting on his futon staring blankly at the wall. There was no expression on her face whatsoever. It was weird. It was like she'd gone back to the catatonic girl he'd found in front of his apartment a couple weeks ago. She didn't even flinch as he noisily dropped a sack of takeout onto the counter.

"Food's here," he announced, though she should be able to smell it. Still no reaction. "Saw your mother. She looked like shit."

Still nothing. Fine. He'd give in and say the only thing that would likely bring her out of her stupor.

"Luffy's doing better. Better than anyone expected. They have a release date in mind for him," Zoro told her. Nami blinked. Slowly, life returned to her face. "They think he'll be out in two weeks. So he'll only miss a grand total of one week of school."

Nami finally looked at him. She didn't look annoyed as she usually did. In fact, since he hadn't seen this face in awhile it was hard to recognize. But he finally remembered. She looked afraid.

"He's getting out?" Nami repeated.

"Yeah," Zoro confirmed. "Did you hear me say I saw your mom?"

Nami looked away. "Yeah."

That's it? Really? She sacrificed herself for her fucking family and now she doesn't give a damn about their health? What the fuck? Women were so damn weird.

"I also saw Smoker. He said some stuff you might be interested in," Zoro added. Nami wasn't staring at the wall anymore, but rather out the window now.

"I doubt it," she replied bitterly, surprising Zoro. He hadn't expected her to even respond. "But go ahead and tell me anyway, since you're so eager."

"I'm not eager," Zoro denied with a snort.

"You brought it up," Nami pointed out. "You usually don't give a damn enough to speak more than ten words past the daily Luffy report to me. So this means you're eager."

Daily Luffy report? Fucking bitch was not catatonic all this time; she was ignoring him. Zoro's blood boiled. This broad needed to go. The sooner the better.

"The subject of you turning yourself in came up in conversation today," Zoro spat. "He said it'd be better for you if you did it, versus staying on the run. You'd get through with the bullshit within a couple months and be back to a normal life."

"I've never had a normal life," Nami denied. "And I doubt I ever will."

Debbie-fucking-downer. That's what she was. And Zoro wasn't going to play into it. He dug through the sack of takeout and grabbed some chopsticks. He flopped violently down onto the futon, making sure to jostle Nami while he was at it. If he'd had a deadly fart to blow, he'd have blown it in her face as he passed. Fuck, he was tired of her as a roommate.

"I was thinking," Nami spoke up when Zoro was almost done with his food. If she didn't go get some of her own, he was going to eat it all. Screw it; he'd take the stomach ache later.

"I was thinking when you got back," Nami repeated. "About what I should do next. It's good to know what one of my options is. Thank you Zoro."

Zoro paused for a few moments. Was this a trick?

"I was thinking of going to All Blue," Nami went on. "It's much bigger than East Blue and I figured I could disappear there pretty easily. I know my way around the criminal circuit too, so it wouldn't be too hard to find the right people who could give me a new identity. The only obstacle is time, since I'm not really up to par and I'd need to be on my game to steal enough money to buy myself a new life."

Zoro realized he'd stopped chewing mid-mouthful. He finished chewing and swallowed, wondering why Nami was spilling her guts to him. Maybe she was just saying it out loud?

"I never actually once considered staying," Nami went on. "Especially since Sanji came yesterday. He had basically the same reaction that I think I would get from anyone if I turned myself in. Lots of yelling and asking if I'm okay but not listening to hear if I am and trying to make decisions for me again."

Yeah, Zoro wouldn't want to go back to that either. Point taken.

"So when you tell me that I could be back to a normal life again in a few months, I just don't believe it," Nami told him. "And I doubt I'll ever take advice from Smoker. He's not got my priorities in mind; he has my mother's. He'll want me to go back to her as soon as possible, just like he told you. And if I do, I'll never not have someone trying to move me in the direction they want me to go. All in the name of my safety or whatever. I just want to have claim over my own life."

"And what would you do with your life, if everyone didn't try to run it for you?" Zoro asked. It sounded like she wanted to be kind of like him. On her own in a small, one room apartment with minimal adult supervision. That could be achieved if she emancipated herself from her mother, but did she really want that?

"I don't know anymore," Nami chuckled. "Isn't that sad?"

"You got nothing?" Zoro asked. "Really? Not even go off and, I don't know, con people out of money?"

"You're right, I do enjoy doing that," Nami admitted with a half smile. "But no. I think I would want to just hang out with my friends all day."

Zoro snorted. "I do that at school."

Nami blanched.

"What?" Zoro asked.

"I never want to go back to that school," Nami whispered. "Ever. If I can help it."

Zoro stared at her. Sure, school sucked, but he got to sleep through most of it and the rest of it he spent hanging out with Luffy. It wasn't as bad as she made it sound.

"Do you know who my first customer was?" Nami asked, out of the blue.

Customer?

Zoro had heard something about this. Not much, since he was mostly concerned with whether or not Luffy would live through surgery, but that guy Sabo had said something about Nami being a Mermaid and Mermaids were in the service of the yakuza—

"It was Crocodile," Nami answered before Zoro could finish his thought. "My first fucking customer was Crocodile. And he's cruel fucker."

Zoro knew Crocodile was an ass. Everyone knew. But why was he—wait, Crocodile knew where Nami was the whole time?

"What the fuck?" Zoro muttered. The bastard! He knew where the yakuza was, where Nami was the whole time and he didn't say a fucking thing to anyone. Why would a principal hide the location of a missing student and a yakuza? "Was he being blackmailed?"

"Hardly," Nami snorted. "He was the winning bid for my first time. Guess you just didn't realize how much of an ass he was until now, did you?"

Zoro's head was spinning. "First time?"

Wait—cruel _fucker?_ As in fucked cruelly?

"Yeah, Arlong auctioned off the first spot in line to fuck me," Nami replied with a heavy sigh. "And like I said, Crocodile was a cruel fucker. He even told me he wanted me to keep my clothes on so he could fuck me in my school uniform."

Suddenly takeout wasn't sitting well with Zoro. He took a few slow, deep breaths to quell the sudden nausea.

"Not really relishing the idea of going back to school next week," Zoro admitted. "Holy fuck. You think he fucks the students?"

Nami shrugged. "If he has something to hold over them, probably. He knows everyone's secrets. So if he knows a good enough one, I could see him doing that."

Zoro shook his head slightly to clear it. There was a lot swirling around now. Nami, who had been a Mermaid, was apparently a call girl, and was fucked by their principal.

"How did Luffy know where to find you?" Zoro asked. It was the one question he'd been unable to puzzle out on his own.

"By accident," Nami admitted. "He saw me and followed me to Arlong Park."

Yeah, by accident sure fit Luffy's persona.

"So you were a call girl?" Zoro summed up, both horrified and grossed out by the idea. He was not physically attracted to Nami at all. She was all skinny and pale and full of bruises. Yeah, her rack wasn't that bad but he liked a butt on a girl and Nami didn't have one.

"I was a whore, Zoro," Nami put it bluntly. "Pretty words like 'call girl' don't lessen the crappiness of it."

"I didn't want to know any of this," Zoro whined somewhat. But it was the truth. He was happier not knowing things like his principal was a pedophile.

Silence filled the room again after his declaration, and Zoro wondered if he'd offended Nami by telling her he didn't want to know her troubles. A glance at her showed her to be not even paying attention to him. She looked like she was still puzzling out what to do with herself.

"Can't you just turn Crocodile in for pedofelila?" Zoro suggested. "I mean, someone's gonna throw a fit if they find out the principal of Lougetown Senior High visits yakuzas and fucks under-aged students."

"Would you cross Crocodile?" Nami returned.

No, probably not. He wasn't just a cruel _fucker._ He was a _cruel_ fucker. There'd be hell to pay, and the price would be high. Now that he knew more about Crocodile, Zoro wondered how high that price could get.

"Change schools?" was his next suggestion.

"School has no point to me without my friends," Nami replied. "I don't even really need to go. I could take the aptitude tests now and graduate early if I wanted."

"Show off," Zoro muttered.

"Sorry," she apologized very unapologetically. "I have to leave. I know I do. I have troubles that will follow me back home if I go there, and that was the whole point of being in the yakuza: to keep my family safe. But what's on my heels now is a whole other ball game. And that boy—no that man from the Flevance Clinic can't know where I am or how to get at me."

The Flevance Clinic? What, back from when they'd all taken down the bastards holding Ussop hostage? Zoro couldn't remember a kid being there other than themselves. And the only man there was the doctor. No confusing him for a kid.

"I worry about you guys, you know?" Nami told him. "You guys, who have the misfortune of being my friends. I worry what I'll bring to darken your doors too. Both Luffy and Ussop got shot, and you and Sanji took a rough beating as well. What's going to come your way next because of me?"

Her words were picking up speed and volume, as though panic were threatening to take over. Zoro glanced at Nami again and saw that wasn't far from the truth. He'd never seen her cry; even when she'd shot herself, but now she was on the verge of what looked like hysterics.

Oh, hell no.

"We were there because we wanted to be," Zoro spoke up quickly, trying to fend off the water works. "Not because you led us there. We came for you, but we're not victims. We were active participants. We chose to take those risks; you didn't make us."

"Did you have any idea of how dangerous it would be?" Nami asked, sounding not convinced, but at least not crying.

"Did I expect bullets and people flying out of sixteenth story windows?" Zoro reiterated. "No. But I brought a sword that could kill somebody. Ussop brought knives that would kill somebody. That disgusting flirt blonde knows how to crack someone's skull with a kick. Luffy didn't send that big guy out the window thinking he'd live through it. We knew we were going in and making some hard decisions to do it. If we can't expect the same consequences, then we deserve to die."

Nami smacked his arm as hard as she could with an injured shoulder and fumed at him. "Luffy does not deserve to die! None of you do!"

"But Luffy did go into that room knowing he might," Zoro told her. "I could see it in his eyes that he was willing to die for you to get you back when he came to get me that morning."

"I don't want that," she whispered, and he had a feeling she was crying anyway.

"Tough," Zoro answered. "You don't get a say in what we are willing to do for you."

"I hate you," she muttered into her hands. "I hate you all."

"Uh huh," he sarcastically agreed. "You hate us so much that you're willing to do the same thing for us: sacrifice yourself so that we can get away."

"I hate your fucking face," Nami said as she released her face from her hands and reached over to him. Not expecting it, Zoro found himself trapped in a hug.

Ugh. Women and their touchy-feelies. He sure as hell wasn't going to hug her back.

"I don't want to leave, but I can't stay without risking everyone I love getting hurt," Nami mumbled into his shoulder. "Because believe me, if Crocodile didn't run that school and Donquixote didn't think he owned me, I'd still be there in that classroom with you guys."

"Who the fuck is Donquixote?" Zoro asked, and then stopped himself. "Never mind, I don't want to know."

It was the truth, and despite her teary moment, Nami chuckled.

"Sorry for getting all emotional on you," she said as she let him go and leaned away. "I'm starved. What did you bring home for dinner?"

"I'd like to point out that you've never actually contributed any money to the food fund," Zoro said as he got up and grabbed the rest of the takeout from off of the counter. "Tokoyaki. Take it or leave it."

Nami held out a hand with jewels in it. Just how the fuck did she do that?

"I'll take it," she said grabbing the bag out of his hand and stuffing the bills into it. "I'm starved."

"I don't see how; you don't do anything all day," Zoro complained, pocketing the money.

"I'm healing," she retorted. "It takes a lot of energy."

They bickered like that for a few more hours before they both hit the sack. They even gave each other a few jabs after the lights were out. Zoro felt like after the whole teary escapade was over with, it was probably one of the least annoying nights he'd spent with Nami. It was almost like she was trying to make up for all the shitty days she had been giving him over the last week and a half or so. He had a feeling that was exactly what she was doing. Trying to get back to owing him nothing.

He wasn't surprised when he woke up the next morning and she was gone.

* * *

A/N: Please let me know what you think of the story so far. I'd like to think I'm keeping everyone in character, but let me know if I'm not. Also, we're kind of in a transition phase from one story line to the next. So bear with me!


	25. Chapter Twenty-Five: Smoker

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Smoker**

Smoker was a hundred percent sure that Roronoa had Nami, though Roronoa had not actually said the words. Their last conversation had led in the direction that pretty much proved it though. That thought was hard to tame; Smoker wanted to go straight to the juvenile delinquent's apartment and snatch the girl up before she could find a way to disappear again. But he didn't. The tone of Roronoa's conversation had suggested that Nami had disappeared by choice again, but this time in fear for her own life. Smoker didn't want to push her into anything even more hazardous to her health. Especially since Roronoa had put it as though she had 'escaped' from the clinic.

Dr. Water had relayed to them (in between Belle's ranting and raving) that he had treated Nami for three gunshot wounds and the symptoms of shock. And somehow that sixteen year old girl had managed to sneak out of a clinic with those wounds. Dr. Water had been quite flustered at her disappearance and had blurted out in front of Belle that Nami was in danger of bleeding out if she tore open any of her wounds again.

Dumb ass.

Belle had gone berserk. It was the first time since he had known her that Smoker wondered at the sanity of this woman. She had torn the clinic apart looking for Nami and screaming profanities. It was heart wrenching to watch. Belle had come to the point of almost having her daughter back just to have her disappear again. Smoker supposed that he had underestimated the level of love Belle had for her daughters.

So, in attempt to ensure the best possible outcome, Smoker waited until he saw Roronoa again the next day at the hospital to confront the youth. He figured if he did it at Roronoa's apartment and Nami was there, she'd take off again before he had a chance to get to her. The fact that Roronoa visited the hospital every day like clockwork was reassuring, too.

"Roronoa," Smoker called as soon as the boy got off the elevator. Roronoa looked up and frowned; it was his usual expression whenever he saw Smoker. Probably from past interactions. It made Smoker crack a half smile. Man, that incident with the blender…he'd never see anything funnier in his life he supposed.

"What?" Roronoa replied unenthusiastically, though he did stop in his trek to Garp's grandson's room.

"A moment of your time," Smoker reassured him. Still reluctant, Roronoa came over to Smoker. He was sitting in the lounge area for the critical care patients and there was no one there with him.

"Only one moment?" Roronoa quipped, but still frowning.

"Look, I'll get straight to the point," Smoker promised as soon as Roronoa was near enough to hear his quiet words. "We need to talk about Nami hiding at your apartment."

Roronoa froze. He didn't even try to cover it up, either. He just froze like a startled deer. Smoker took a guess at that reaction.

"Don't worry; I do not intend to turn you in for harboring a fugitive," Smoker dismissed. Roronoa thawed slightly. "My concern is purely that Nami's health and safety be addressed. She must go to the hospital. Her wounds—"

"I'd have made her go if she'd have listened to me," Roronoa interrupted. "But like I said yesterday, she'd freak out every time I even mentioned anything concerning a doctor. But as of last night, her arm and shoulder were pretty good and the swelling in her leg had gone down. Not sure that one wasn't still an open wound; she broke a lot of stitches. But she wasn't bleeding anymore."

Words had poured out of Roronoa like a fountain. Smoker wondered if he'd ever heard this many words at one time from the kid in his entire acquaintance. Smoker went over Zoro's words a second time in his head to reassess the information he was given for the important points. He sighed heavily as he realized that if Nami was still with Roronoa, he would have said 'this morning' instead of 'last night.'

"She's gone again," he assessed. Roronoa looked like a stunned deer again. "I was hoping that you conveyed the deeper points of our conversation to her about the benefits of going to the police."

"I did," Roronoa protested quickly.

"I don't doubt you," Smoker said, holding a hand up to calm the kid down. "But it seems she didn't listen to it. I don't suppose she left any indication of where she might have gone?"

Roronoa shook his head. "She was gone when I woke up this morning. But last night she talked of going to All Blue."

"Damn it," he muttered. Belle was going to have a nervous breakdown soon. If she wasn't already there. Since Nami had disappeared six weeks ago, Belle had lost nearly thirty pounds. That much weight was detrimental to her health.

"Sorry," Roronoa apologized lamely. He shifted from foot to foot and glanced over his shoulder at Garp's grandson's room. "Hey, can I go now?"

Smoker waived him off as he pondered what else he could do. The only lead he'd had for a week and a half had just dried up. He didn't doubt Roronoa; the kid was a terrible liar. He'd tried to lie his way through the blender incident and it was a total failure.

It was when he was thinking of his next step that his cell phone rang.

Smoker reached into his pocket and grabbed the phone automatically. He was trying to duck the dark looks that the hospital nurses were giving him for having his cell phone on when he was outside of a designated cell phone zone so he answered it without looking at the caller.

"Smoker," he answered.

"You got about ten minutes to get your ass to the station, Chaser," Garp's voice told him. "Otherwise, I'm interrogating her without you."

Smoker's mind stuttered as he tried to readjust his thoughts.

"Who?" he asked.

"That brat Nami."

Smoker was up and walking towards the elevator in half a heartbeat.

"The kid showed up at our doorstep about a half an hour ago, refused medical treatment, and demanded to see you," Garp relayed with a snort. "I told her that you don't work for EBPD anymore and she told me to fuck off. So you got that long to get here or I'm gonna go in there and play bad cop without the good cop. Got it?"

"I'm on my way," Smoker assured him, pushing the elevator button. He hung up and was about to board the elevator when he had a moment: Belle was with Nojiko in Garp's grandson's room. He did a U-turn and jogged back to the room. Two different nurses yelled at him to walk.

Smoker busted through the door a little more violently than he'd planned, but he saw Belle in a moment so it didn't matter. Everyone including Belle was stunned and staring at him. He grabbed her arm and tugged her towards the door.

"What's going on?" Nojiko asked, unfreezing from her spot next to Portugas.

"You stay here until we come get you," Smoker instructed her, then looked at Portugas. "She doesn't leave your sight."

Portugas nodded but Nojiko got that same look on her face that Belle did when Smoker tried to tell her what to do and she didn't agree with it.

"The hell I—" she started.

"Nojiko," Belle interrupted in a tone that Smoker hadn't heard Belle use on the girl before. Nojiko fell silent and, though reluctantly, sat back down. "I'll be back later."

Belle didn't ask questions or argue; she simply followed him back to the elevator. She even remained silent throughout the elevator ride. It was when they were in the car and moving that the questions started.

"Where is she?" Belle asked.

"The station," Smoker answered.

"Why not the hospital?" Belle demanded, starting to get that fired-up tone to her voice.

"She probably refused medical treatment," Smoker answered. "And seeing as she's a wanted person in an ongoing investigation, Garp's not letting her out of his custody."

"His custody," Belle snorted. "The old fuck! He's lost my daughter three times! I wouldn't trust him with the purity of a peanut butter sandwich, the piece of shit!"

It was good for Belle to get all of this out now; Garp wouldn't let her into the viewing room if she was raving at him when they got to the station.

"Just where the hell has she been for the last week and a half?" Belle demanded.

"Don't for sure know yet," Smoker truthfully lied. Technically, Roronoa had never actually said she was with him. It had only been implied. Belle seemed to see through that one and looked like she was going to ask so Smoker rushed on. "She asked for me when she came in and Garp said I had ten minutes to get there or he was interrogating her himself."

"Is that why we're ignoring speed limits and traffic lights?" Belle asked, though Smoker doubted she minded.

"I don't want that damn kid to disappear through my fingers again," Smoker lamented. "I'd hand cuff her to the interrogation table if I thought it would do any good. But I think the only reason Nami is in our possession is because _she_ wants to be."

"That brat!" Belle cursed. "I want to smack her upside the head and hug her 'til she passes out. I just don't know which to do first."

"Belle, keep a clear head," Smoker tried to remind her gently. "She's only going home with you if she cooperates with us and you don't get thrown out of the police station for threatening somebody."

"Cowardly candy asses!" Belle cried again. For a woman who had barely eaten in six weeks and slept probably a grand total of eight hours all week, she still had some energy in her. "She's my daughter! _Daughter_! As if I'd ever do anything to hurt her! And Garp deserves what he gets, along with any idiot stupid enough to get in my way."

Finally, she wasn't shouting anymore. It was a good sign that the worst was over.

"Do me a favor and save anything else for later," Smoker advised. Belle gave him a dirty look. "Garp's going to be hot that I brought you and not want to let you observe, but if you stay silent and don't call him a candy ass or fucker or whatever, you'll probably be let in. Can you do that?"

"Don't fuck with me, Chaser," Belle snapped. "Of course I can. Who do you think you're talking to?"

"A woman on the edge," Smoker snapped back. "Who should be hospitalized in the room next to her daughter. Now don't _you_ fuck with _me_ , got it?"

It was the closest thing to a fight the two of them had ever had. But Smoker wanted to get it across how important the next few minutes would be. Belle looked livid.

"You got it, Chaser," she said in a voice so cold it would have froze rain into sleet.

Needless to say, the rest of the car ride was silent. It didn't matter. It was only another minute long after that. Smoker double parked in a handicapped spot and threw the keys at the first officer he came into contact with inside the station. Everyone seemed to know why he was there and gave him wide berth as he entered. No one said anything to or about Belle either.

Garp was, luckily, still outside of the interrogation room when Smoker got to them. He raised a displeased but not surprised eyebrow at the sight of Belle but luckily didn't say anything either.

"She hasn't spoken to me since she told me to fuck off," Garp relayed. "I doubt there's any good in me going in there. This is your show, Chaser. Make it count."

Garp opened the door to the observation room and stepped in, followed by Belle. Smoker wondered how long before one of them opened their big mouths and shit went sideways. With a deep breath to calm himself, Smoker opened the door to interrogation and stepped in.

She looked terrible. But she was _there_. Smoker walked over to the table where Nami was seated, her back to the two-way mirror, and sat down across from her. She was very pale and very skinny, resembling her mother in that way, though there was no relation, and in her eyes was that same hard look Belle had always had.

Silence rang through the room as Smoker waited for Nami to say something. She didn't. She only stared at them with those cold eyes that were exactly like her mother's, aside from the shade. Finally, Smoker decided that he would have to be the one to speak first. He pondered what would be best to say.

"Do you have any idea how long I have been searching for you?" he asked, unable to curb the parental statement despite not being her (or any child's) parent.

"Do you know how long I've suffered because of you?" she retorted immediately. Smoker was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected her to blame the whole situation on him. He had expected her to tell him that she'd done it for some money or protection, as the Portugas boy had said.

"Because of me?" Smoker repeated.

"Do you ever even think beyond yourself?" Nami wondered. Her voice was cold. "Do you consider the consequences for only yourself? Or do you entertain what could happen to others?"

This was all accusatory. And not in the direction that Smoker had wanted to go. Any second now, Garp was going to come into the room and oust Smoker from it.

"Of course I do," Smoker returned. "But I'm guessing you're alluding to a time when you believe I did not. Unless it pertains to the Fishman Village matter, we'll have to talk about it later."

"It's the source of the Fishman Village matter," Nami stated.

"How?" Smoker asked, speaking his mind. He honestly couldn't manage to get from point A to point B on her logic.

"When I was eight years old," Nami told him, "you stalked my mother. That night, you asked her to go back to college so she could come work for you."

Smoker recalled the night in question, squirming a bit at the 'stalking' reference. It was harsh, but ultimately the truth, unfortunately.

"Please explain the correlation," Smoker requested.

Nami sighed as though she was disappointed that he couldn't figure it out himself.

"Like two days after she agreed," she explained, "I was approached at school by some stupid thug who wanted my mother back at her old 'job.' I'm not the little kid I used to be, and I'm not stupid. My mother tried to keep us from starving to death by trying to become a prostitute. And the fucker who came to me at school was her former pimp. I know that now."

Smoker paled. This was something the girls were never supposed to know. It had been a grand total of one night. Hell, Belle had never taken any money.

"Your mother was never a prostitute," Smoker contradicted. "I'd have had to arrest her if she was."

"Don't fuck with me," Nami spat, sounding so much like her mother that Smoker wanted to smile a bit, despite the curse. "Like I said, I'm not stupid. So she failed at being a prostitute. Whatever. She tried. And some fucker thought she owed him something. I don't care. What does matter is that for the next two weeks, my sister and I were followed around and Bell-mère was shot at."

"That wasn't—"

"Don't you dare say that wasn't related," Nami interrupted. "You know it was. And if you think that was going to be the last incident, you're stupid. But you're not stupid either, are you Smoker?"

No. Smoker wasn't stupid. He'd known the shooting had not been random and had worried about Belle and her kids. Some of the people following Nami and Nojiko had been put there by Smoker. He just didn't think the kids would notice.

"But if you think that those dangers and that threat on my mother's life just went away, then maybe you are stupid," Nami continued. "Did you get suspicious at all back then when that all just stopped?"

He had. But it had stopped around the same time that he had been taking his Bar Exam and he'd forgotten about it until weeks later. With no other incidents, Smoker had decided that the Don's Mafia had given up on Belle because she was a small fry.

"Fine, I'll give that one to you," Nami relented, watching his face as if she could read his thoughts. "Being a prostitute, or failed prostitute for one night probably doesn't warrant much retaliation. But what about being a narc for a cop?"

Something else Smoker had considered. The main reason that he had suspected Belle had been shot at. Not the prostitution thing. But his concerns had died because the incident was the only one of reference and he'd retired from the police force after passing the Bar.

"Or, even better," Nami went on, "how about being the only weak link for a prosecution attorney that is incorruptible?"

Ding, ding, ding! Smoker felt things shift into place. It made him feel a little sick.

"Forgot about that, didn't you?" Nami predicted. "Forgot that you could be reached through her. Or her eight and ten year old kids. Didn't think that one through, did you Chaser?"

"So your answer at eight years old was to go join a gang?" Smoker demanded in a yell. "How the fuck was that a solution? Why didn't you come to me? Why did you run to danger versus safety?"

"I didn't know you," Nami denied. "You're just some stalker my mother told me was a police officer and I should trust. To me, you were just as dangerous as the men I went to for protection. And the men I went to, though of dubious background, were _very_ good at their job."

Smoker was still angry, despite her explanation.

"You stole the Don Krieg Mafia folder from me, didn't you?" Smoker accused. He knew she had done it. She was the only one who'd had access to those files besides Belle and himself. He wanted her to admit it, and then tell him why.

"I did," she agreed. "That was repayment for settling the Black Cat incident myself."

Herself? Versus what?

"Versus letting the Sawshark's yakuza murder everyone involved," Nami answered his unspoken question. "You see, the Sawshark wasn't very generous about things that didn't involve large sums of money. And the Black Cat gang had no money. They were going after Kaya's. If Arlong had found out about that, he'd have killed everyone involved including Ussop and his mother, except Kaya. He'd have kept her, drained her of her money, and probably turned her into a Mermaid."

Some of Smoker's ire died a little bit. Yeah, that fit the Sawshark's m.o. Sick bastard.

"That's what he does, you know?" Nami went on, picking dirt from underneath her nails. "He uses people until he gets what he wants from them, and then kills them. Unless there's another way to make money off of them. In this case, becoming a Mermaid. Quite a profitable business."

And there it was. The elephant in the room.

"How did it happen?" Smoker asked after the silence became unbearable.

"How did I move from Messenger to Mermaid, you mean? After I gave him the file on Krieg," Nami told him. "He said I was too valuable to be wasted as a Messenger anymore. So I was _promoted_."

"And that was the night of Baratie incident?" Smoker clarified. Nami snorted.

"No, about a week before that," she refined. "He told me my bruises had to fade before he would 'let me start my new career.'"

Bile in the back of his throat.

"The day you went home sick from school?" Smoker prompted.

"That was the day I met Sabo," Nami murmured. "It was the night before that."

"So for the next week…" Smoker trailed off.

"I guess you could say, I was trying to wrap my head around my new job," Nami said while smiling bitterly. "I never did manage it though. Not even after I'd started. I hated every day of it. At least, until Luffy came along."

Smoker took a long pause. Luffy. Garp's grandson. This next question was very important.

"When did young Luffy come upon you?" Smoker asked slowly.

"About three days in," Nami answered immediately. "It was a small blessing."

Smoker stared at her.

"I was available from two o'clock in the afternoon to four o'clock in the morning to fuck people," Nami spelled out for him. "And Luffy came and took up eight of those fourteen hours so I didn't have to do it as much."

"Why didn't he come to us right away?" Smoker asked, but already knowing the answer.

"I convinced him not to," Nami answered. Yep, he knew it. "If he had, would you have been in any position to take down Fishman Village?"

Smoker opened his mouth to answer.

"Be honest," Nami beat him to the punch. "You had no idea how wide spread this virus known as Fishman Village was, did you? Nor did you have a plan to take it down."

In all honesty, no. Not at all.

"So having my best friend come visit me every night made my life just a little less shitty, I guess you could say," Nami summed up. "Don't you dare think ill of him when he was the only person I had when my life fell apart."

Smoker still didn't agree, but he knew by the look in Nami's eyes that he'd never win that argument. So he let the silence take over for a few minutes as he tried to collect his thoughts about what information he needed to collect before Garp barged in and tried taking over the investigation.

"I need to know how deep in intelligence you were with the Sawshark," Smoker finally said. "Thanks to your blonde rescuer friend and his compatriots, there are only about seventeen former members left in the Sawshark's yakuza. We're still pulling bodies from beneath that building, and probably will be for months to come. So we have very little intelligence on the yakuza itself."

"That's your problem," Nami stated definitively. "Not mine. I was advised to turn myself in and tell you what I know. I am. I joined when I was eight to protect my family; I was a Messenger until a month and a half ago. If you want to know the area that I covered, I can give you those stats. Six weeks ago, I was made into a Mermaid. If you want to know how many men I was forced to fuck or what positions they like, I can give you those stats too. But that's all I know. That's more than I ever wanted to know."

Smoker knew she was lying. There was no way that a smart girl like Nami wouldn't have figured out other things along the way. But she wasn't saying anything. Why, when she had nothing left to lose and no one holding a gun to her head was she still hiding things?

Think, Smoker.

"Can I get a donut or something?" Nami asked suddenly. "I'm starved."

Yeah, she looked starved too.

"I'll see what I can do," Smoker pledged, still thinking.

If she was still hiding things then the obvious answer was that there _was_ something still left to lose (probably her family again) and that there _was_ someone holding the proverbial gun to her head. So the question was, was it someone who was still alive in the organization?

"In the meantime," Smoker continued, "I'm going to bring in a list of the members that survived the bombing. I would like you to identify their positions within the yakuza if you knew. Is that something you can do?"

Nami shrugged. "I'll give it a try."

Smoker nodded and waited to be let out of interrogation. Garp opened the door and together they walked back to his desk.

"She's still hiding something," Garp observed.

"But why?" Smoker asked. "Unless one of the operatives we picked up is a lot higher in the yakuza than we thought, there's something much bigger going on that we don't know about yet."

Garp grunted.

"Or do we?" Smoker asked suspiciously. "What are you holding out on me?"

"There's been word from the underground that someone from All Blue was backing the Sawshark. Both financially and in manpower. If she knows who it is…"

"This underground," Smoker said, grabbing a chocolate covered donut. "Would it happen to be that blonde who fucked up the whole operation?"

Garp snorted as he printed the list of associates. "Not the entire operation. Just the end of it. My grandson did the majority of fucking up."

"What do you think of the girl's explanation of your grandson's tight lippedness?" Smoker prodded.

"He's an idiot whose heart is in the right place, but not his mind," Garp grumbled. "Regardless of whether we had the means to do it when he found her, he should have told me."

Smoker felt the same way. But there was no use worrying about it now. What was done was done and now they were scrambling to get back on top of the situation before a new entity worse than the Sawshark of Fishman Village came to power.

Smoker let himself back into interrogation and handed Nami the donut. She ate it in four bites. Hadn't Roronoa been feeding her?

"Here's the list," Smoker told her, handing her the paper and a pen from his pocket. "Any notes you can make about these men would be greatly appreciated."

Nami wiped her hands on her clothes and grabbed both. She studied the list for a good minute before putting it on the table and going to work on it. She wrote quite a bit more than Smoker was expecting. She had at least two or three lines for each associate. When she had gotten far enough down on the page that he could see it, Smoker began reading about the first man, though it was slow going since it was upside down for him.

Kaneshiro Watanabe— _Dumbass enfOrcer. Needs to QUIt smoking._

Okay. So he was an enforcer. But what did his smoking habits have to do with anything? Smoker read the next line.

Pisaro Akira— _eXtremely mOronic enforcer. TEnDs tO Forget Lists eAsily._

Okay, there was something going on. Her hand writing was all over the place, and though she'd shot herself in the arm, according to reports, it was her left arm not her right, so her penmanship shouldn't be affected.

Shioyaki Jun— _Moron. that's It. just hard to listeN to this Guy's nOnsense._

Smoker was trying to put the words together and see if there was some sort of code, but it was upside down and therefore hard for him to process. He waited until Nami stopped writing, which she did about half way through the list. She didn't even bother to write anything on the members that were listed below the seventh person. She handed the list back to Smoker.

"That's all I remember," Nami told him. Smoker eyed the list again and saw more of her disjointed writing. There was something there! Why couldn't he see it?

"Read it aloud if you want," Nami suggested. "I'm sure the people watching in interrogation are dying to hear what it says."

So Smoker read the first one aloud. "Kaneshiro Watanabe. Dumbass Enforcer. Needs to quit smoking."

Nami smirked, but otherwise didn't react to his listing.

"Pisaro Akira. Extremely moronic Enforcer. Tends to forget lists easily," Smoker went on.

"Not what you were hoping for, was it?" Nami guessed. "Sorry. I told you. I don't have the information you think you want from me."

But there was something there. And now that he wasn't looking at the list upside down, he could see it.

Dumbass enfOrcer. Needs to QUIt smoking. eXtremely mOronic enforcer. TEnDs tO Forget Lists eAsily. Moron. that's It. just hard to listeN to this Guy's nOnsense. Loser. A Whiner too. JustIfies Needing Big mEals by workIng out a lot.

Donquixote Doflamingo. Law. Jinbei.

Holy. Shit.

All of these names were big players in All Blue. No wonder Nami wouldn't say anything. Smoker realized his pause had been a bit long and tried to cover it up by addressing the rest of the list.

"No other input?" he asked, pointing to the bottom ten men. "You didn't know any of these men?"

"They're all Enforcers," Nami shrugged. "I can tell you their bad habits too if you really want to know. But they're all small fries."

Smoker pointed to the last name on the list. "Even this one?"

Nami leaned forward and eyed the name for a moment. "He was a chauffeur."

"Our information indicates that Hatchan Takane was one of the top three Enforcers and held the title of one of the Trio," Smoker explained. Nami made no facial movements or bodily gestures whatsoever. She was unfazed. She was lying.

"I never once saw him fight," she replied too smoothly. "I doubt he even could fight. Have you ever seen that man try to get out of a room with one door?"

Yes, Smoker had. It was sadly amusing. The man would get lost while standing next to the door. That was why they wanted clarification. He didn't seem like that much of a threat. But was he acting? Nami was lying, Smoker was sure, but was it about being a chauffeur or about him not being a part of the Trio? Because Hatchan Takane looked much more like a chauffeur than a top ranked Enforcer.

"He was Arlong's personal chauffeur if that makes any difference?" Nami offered.

Well, kind of. The high level authority made a tiny bit more sense then. Smoker continued to ponder the list, but the sum up that Nami had given him was pretty spot on to the information they already had.

"Are we done yet?" Nami asked randomly. Smoker looked up from the list. "I want to ask you, as an attorney, a couple of questions on a personal matter."

A personal matter?

"How do I emancipate myself from my mother?" Nami asked calmly. "I want to be responsible for myself from now on. No more orders from anyone else. Ever."

Smoker was floored. Nami had done all of this for her family, and now wanted out of it? Smoker suddenly remembered that Belle was in the observation room. She had to be completely stunned, if not devastated.

"That's not—" Smoker began.

"I know it's possible," Nami interrupted him, once again guessing what he was going to say. "I looked it up while I was still in school. I'm tired of every single choice I make for my life is being second guessed and nitpicked and I want everyone fucking out of it. I'm done. I'll fuck up my own life and have no more commentary from anyone else."

Smoker regained his composure and straightened in his chair. "If you wish to go through with such proceedings, you will need to do so through the city. I can't act on behalf of a minor unless appointed to by judgment. And I would fight it if I was."

"I figured," Nami shrugged. "You wouldn't do a damn thing that would ever hurt her, would you? But anyone else involved, they're on their own. Isn't that right, Chaser?"

Nami was attacking him personally again. It was clear that the interrogation was over. Smoker stood from his chair and took the list with him. At least he'd gotten something from her. Besides shade.

Garp let him out again and took the list from him. He eyed it over and Smoker watched as the same realization came over Garp. He sighed deeply and folded the paper up and put it in his pocket.

"Too bad we didn't get anything useful from the girl," Garp said. "I didn't expect much, but at least we have the clarification we need on Hatchan Takane. We can move forward with our charges."

Garp was deliberately avoiding the subjects secretly listed in the paper. Did he trust the station so little? That was a sad thought.

"You better handle her mother," Garp added. "She's about to turn into a wreck, and you brought that ship here. You deal with it."

Yes, he'd brought Belle here and it was a mistake. But he'd do it again, given the chance. Belle would be a wreck as Garp had said, but she at least was able to see her daughter.

Smoker opened the door to the observation room. Belle sat on one of the chairs hunched over and staring at the floor. He leaned down onto his haunches in front of her. Surprisingly, she was not crying, but she did look like she wanted to be.

"I can't believe that I drove my daughter to this," she whispered after a few minutes of silence. "I forced her to join a yakuza to keep me and Nojiko safe. Everything that has happened to her is my fault."

No, Smoker thought. Everything that had happened to Nami was his fault.


	26. Chapter Twenty-Six: Smoker

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Smoker**

Eight years ago, Chase Smoker met a woman who changed his life.

Now, the woman he met, Belle LaFemme, would tell anyone and everyone that would listen that it was the opposite of that case; that he was the one who changed her life. But Smoker knew that without meeting Belle, he would not be the best prosecution attorney in all of East Blue, and possibly All Blue, if his former commander Garp's praise was to be believed.

Despite all that, he was not proud of himself. No, Smoker now knew that he was the one who had sealed Nami's fate. When he thought back to that time, when he'd first met Belle, he used to think of it as a bitter sweet time of his life. Bitter to see the end of his career on the police force and sweet to start the beginning of his prosecution attorney days with Belle. Now, those memories were simply bitter.

Chase Smoker had been long becoming disenchanted with the law. Well, not the law itself, but those who enforced the law with him at East Blue Police Department. Too many times had he seen new cops turn bad for some money or power, and as of late, even some members the good old crew he had started with were beginning to get a little shady. It left a bad taste in his mouth.

Garp pleaded with him daily to stay with the force for a little while longer. He needed men like him to blah blah blah, so on and so forth. Smoker had stopped listening to even his superior as of late. The idea of turning state's attorney had crossed his mind once or twice and Smoker had even gone so far as to take some night classes at the local college in the law program. He was far from passing the bar but he was also more than half way the first time he considered writing a resignation letter.

Garp saw his disenchantment, or at least must have guessed it, because he began putting Smoker on solitary detail, doing work that Smoker thought was pointless but Garp assured him was pivotal to cleaning up the endless crime and corruption on the streets of East Blue. Garp was at least right about one thing: Smoker was much less pessimistic about his job when he didn't have to be around his coworkers.

At first, Garp had him simply finding some perps who were selling dope while under cover and buying off of them to get them to trust him. He would then integrate himself into the lower rungs of the drug cartel and identify the bigger fish that needed to be fried.

It worked. For awhile. For like, six months. Then when the _big sting_ went down and the task force Garp had assigned made arrests and busts, it was all for naught. At least, in Smoker's opinion. The so called big fish, some asshole named Chew or something, got off scot-free on a technicality. Someone in the forensics department had contaminated evidence.

Smoker lost it. He lost his shit very non-politically-correctly at anyone and everyone in the department that day. He accused new comers and long time officers of corruption, and even cited the chief of police as taking bribes from the mafia. It didn't go down well, unsurprisingly.

Garp took him aside and reminded him that he needed evidence to support his accusations and Smoker nearly decked his own superior for thinking so little of him. Smoker walked out of the station and didn't return for three days. When he did, he had a briefcase full of the evidence Garp had wanted. This time, when Smoker rocked the police station, heads rolled.

In retrospect, maybe that's what Garp wanted all along. Garp was, if nothing else, a manipulative bastard when he wanted to be. Garp was observant and must have seen the same corruption that Smoker had, and the insult to Smoker's pride had been the goad to get Smoker to do what Garp wanted.

Regardless, Smoker was typing up his resignation. He was done with this place. It didn't matter how many new faces came and went, the corruption was still going to run rampant as long as the crime syndicates carried as much favor in the right political places as it did. Every man could be bought for a price, Smoker had once heard.

Well, not him. Not fucking him. He was out of this crappy station and finishing up his law degree (he was in his last semester at this point and was working on his dissertation) and getting the hell out of East Blue. He'd head somewhere less criminally tainted, like North Blue, and get a practice started.

"You can go ahead and delete that, Chaser," Garp told him as he sat down in the chair across from Smoker. Smoker ignored Garp and continued typing up his letter of resignation on his laptop. "I have one last detail for you to work and you've got two months left before your pension kicks in."

"I'll survive," was Smoker's anticlimactic response.

"Not without a pension, you won't," Garp told him. "And don't you have a few weeks left in your last semester? Then there's the Bar Exam. You were planning on using your savings to open up a practice, weren't you? It would be a big dent in that if you had to drain money out of it because you got pissy and decided to quit early like a toddler throwing a tantrum."

Smoker snapped the laptop shut and shoved it across his desk irritably.

"What do you want, Garp? Besides for me to do exactly what you fancy, which is probably run around in pointless circles for the next two months," Smoker predicted. Garp kept up his irritating grin and didn't seem ruffled at all by Smoker's harsh words.

"Last detail. Just for two months, and then I'll write the recommendation myself for early pension to the new police chief," Garp bartered. "It's not the same shit detail you were on before. It's a little more…cushy, I guess you could say."

Smoker sighed and stared down his superior, waiting for the big reveal.

"One of the new yakuzas or mafias, or possibly both, is looking for women tight on money to prostitute for them," Garp told him. "You just need to find one of their prostitutes and convince her to testify against the cunt-bucket employing her and boom, we knock out a major player in the criminal underworld. Or at least, his bank."

Smoker sighed again, this time more in contemplation. He had heard the rumors going around that the Don Krieg mafia was looking for women for prostitution when he'd been infiltrating the drug cartel. But at the time, Garp had been more interested in the Sawshark yakuza supplying drugs to the city than the possibility of prostitution.

"Why is this important now? Why not before?" Smoker asked. Garp grinned, as if Smoker had asked the right questions.

"It's a game of who do we want in power," Garp replied. He grabbed a blank piece of paper and a pen and drew a circle on the paper. He then divided evenly in to six parts. The first part he labeled Black Cat Gang and drew an X through them. The second name he wrote was Alvida's Heartbreakers, then the Sawshark. Fourth, he wrote the Clown Gang, then Don Krieg's Mafia, and lastly Golden Lions and drew and X through them as well.

"Based on our intelligence gathering, these are the major players in the East Blue crime syndicates, wouldn't you say?" Garp asked. Smoker nodded. "As you can see, two of them are down for the count. The Golden Lions were the first to go down, brought down by Roger before his last days. Secondly, the Black Cat Gang, though we didn't catch the major players, is out of the picture. We just punched a big hole in the money supply train for the Sawshark's yakuza. Now we have a chance to hit Don Krieg in the same place. You and I both know that Alvida's and Buggy's gangs are barely worth mentioning, but are still players in the game. Still, that hit will bring all of the remaining criminals to the same level. What do you think will happen then?"

Smoker didn't have to think about it. He already knew. "There will be a vying for power and one of them will come out on top."

"Exactly," Garp agreed. "And all we have to do is have men in place in each syndicate to know which one, as well as what's going on in the big one. Then it's just a matter of time before we get them into a choke hold and strangle off the last major criminal element in the East Blue. The others will be cowed by the big fish and won't be able to recover before our men inside take them down."

"It all sounds pretty," Smoker told him. "But no one is incorruptible."

"No one, Chaser?" Garp goaded. Smoker flipped him off.

"You know what I mean," Smoker snapped.

"I do," Garp nodded. "And I know that the best man for the infiltration job would be you, but you're more important in a different role."

Finally. The reason for all of this heavy-worded bullshit.

"You will be my prosecution attorney," Garp instructed. "The only incorruptible one in the entire East Blue. It's going to make you the target for every asshole and bastard born in this town, but you'll put them away for good, and won't let some fuck up in forensics spoil your catch, am I right?"

Damn it, Garp knew him too well now.

Smoker sighed a third time. "So I just gotta find a trick that will testify? You do realize the one I find will probably find her way into the ditch with her throat cut as soon as she hits the stand."

"We've got protection," Garp assured him, but Smoker didn't trust Garp's 'protection.' Men were too easily bought these days. All someone would have to do was 'accidentally' look away at just the right moment…

"All the same, you may want to try to find someone with just as nasty of a background as Don Krieg and a strong wish for revenge against him, just in case," Garp added. Smoker snorted.

"And when am I supposed to find a prostitute when I go to college at night?" Smoker posed, interest to hear what solution Garp had for this one. Most prostitutes worked the five in the evening to one in the morning shift. And Smoker wasn't all that interested in switching to third shift.

"Tequila Wolf," Garp answered, non-pulsed. "Plenty of working ladies in that area in broad daylight."

It was true. The decrepit old bridge that was closed off to traffic due to hazardous conditions was still open for pedestrians, though most of those pedestrians were of the unsavory sort. He'd definitely find a trick or two there. The question was whether or not they'd be the right criteria for what Garp wanted.

"And I'm just supposed to pick up a prostitute and bust her and hope she knows a thing or two about The Don?" Smoker surmised. Garp smiled in response. Not a nice smile either. A smug, all-knowing, somewhat arrogant smile.

"I told you, Chaser, a cushy detail," Garp reiterated. "This one requires you to gather deep intelligence. No one said you were busting anything. Except maybe a nut. You get to fuck these women and earn their trust just like when you were buying dope off the uglies in the Sawshark's gang."

What the fuck? What the actual fuck?

"The fuck are you saying?" Smoker asked, unable to control his brain-to-mouth filter. "You want me to go out there and lay every whore between Tequila Wolf and Conomi? Just to find a stool-pigeon?"

"You get a thirty thousand berry per day stipend," Garp told him with a shitty grin. He tossed an envelope onto Smoker's desk. "Don't use it all in one place."

Garp got up from his chair and left Smoker in his shocked silence. Smoker was still trying to process it. Fuck some prostitutes? Not arrest them? Come on, he wasn't going to go fuck just any hole. There were plenty of nasty twats out there that he wasn't going near.

But that was the point, wasn't it? Garp knew him too well. Smoker would do his homework on these women before he approached them and know what their situation was before 'fucking' them. And fucking was in mental quotations because he sure as hell wasn't going to do it literally. He'd know the right woman to use for this job before he even said two words to her.

Smoker took up the thirty thousand berries and sneered at it. Ten-to-one odds it was Garp's own pocket money and the department hadn't allowed shit. Hell, the department probably didn't care what Smoker did for the next two months as long as Smoker was out at the end of those two months. Garp…fuck, if that man ever decided to become a criminal…

.o0o.

It took only nine days for Smoker to identify his mark.

Putting some pressure on some old contacts in the drug cartel, Smoker found out where the Don was holding his 'auditions' for prostitutes. For three days, Smoker watched women of disturbingly old ages and sickeningly young ages come and go from this location. He always knew when one had been accepted. They left with a man from the Don's mafia, probably their new pimp.

On the third day of watching, nine days into his new gig, Smoker saw a mid-twenties looking woman with dark red hair, almost magenta colored, walk through the doors of the Don's brothel. He mostly took notice of her for the color of her hair, but what made him notice her later was how she departed.

She knocked the doors open by punching out the man that was presumably her pimp. She then promptly stomped on the man's nuts and yelled at him as he cringed on the ground holding his groin. From his vantage point across the street in a vacant upstairs apartment, Smoker could hear her.

"Listen, fucker! I may be a prostitute now but that don't give you liberties to touch me anywhere I don't want," she told him. "You pay for that shit, just like everyone else. Got it, piss-ant?"

"The Don—" the man started to say Smoker thought, but he couldn't hear him that well over his groaning.

"I don't give a shit what the Don said, and he won't care as long as he gets his money," the woman spat. "You want me to go in there and tell him you're trying to get a piece without paying?"

Another groaning word from the man on the ground.

"That's what I thought," she sneered. "Now I'm going home. You keep your skanky ass away from my home and I'll show where I'm supposed to tonight at nine. I see your ugly mug where I shouldn't and I'll do some dentist work on your face."

And then she left.

This woman was it. She hated the Don but was completely okay with being a prostitute. She was certainly not law abiding, and had a violent streak in her. Smoker just had to find out where she'd be at nine o'clock.

.o0o.

Tequila Wolf. Go figure.

Smoker supposed he shouldn't have been surprised that was where the new tricks were being sent. It was no secret that the working women were there. Anyone who wanted to pay for a date was going to look there first. Smoker didn't have to look, though. He'd been tailing the magenta-haired woman for the remaining afternoon and entirety of the evening.

Forgoing his evening class (they were just reviewing dissertations and Smoker's was almost ninety percent done), he'd followed the woman back to her suburban residence in time to watch her go pick up two kids from school and bring them back to a tiny apartment. At first, Smoker thought she was just nannying the girls. Neither of them looked alike, nor like her. But as Smoker watched the house and the evening hours went on, no other adults came for the children.

Eight-thirty came and saw the magenta-haired woman leave the apartment and lock it, clothed in a long trench coat. She heeled it to the train station and headed for Tequila Wolf. Her pimp was there, looking rather beaten and ridiculous as he gave her orders to start walking the bridge. Smoker parked his car a few blocks away in an enclosed parking garage and started to heel it himself.

The two kids bothered him. A lot. This woman had kids. It was the first inkling that Smoker had that she wasn't right for the position he wanted. But it was just a feeling. It didn't stop him from perusing the strip of Tequila Wolf as if assessing the meat on display there but just trying to be nonchalant before picking up his mark.

She was straight stalking down Tequila Wolf and looking in no way like she was trying to attract the attention of a buyer, he noted with amusement. As if she were angry to have to listen to her pimp's direction, but determined to do it nonetheless. She made a quick turn at the end of the bridge and came stalking back, staring disdainfully at the murky water under the bridge. She didn't even notice him until she ran into him.

Smoker had deliberately put himself in her path so she would notice him. Well, she certainly did when she bounced off of him. He put a hand out to steady her but she evaded his touch as she stumbled to regain her balance. She sent him an icy glare.

"Watch it, will ya?" she snapped.

Wow. She was terrible at this.

"I apologize," he said, giving her a nod. "I was just exploring the selection of ladies walking Tequila Wolf tonight. I had my eyesight elsewhere."

She gave him a look full of scrutiny.

"You a cop?" she asked balls out.

Smoker laughed. "What makes you think that?"

"Because nobody in their right mind of sanity would come down here talking like that. You'd either get shot or mugged or both."

"So, without sanity, I must be a cop?" Smoker surmised.

"You must be stupid enough to be one," she clarified. "Bringing your arrogant swagger talk down here where the whores and pimps are. If you wasn't, you'd have replied to me with a 'fuck off, cunt,' or something the like."

"Would you prefer me to call you a cunt?" Smoker asked, amused by her assessment.

"I'd prefer you to take your pig self somewhere else," she told him. Smoker shrugged.

"If you insist," he relented. "But if this is where the whores and pimps are, what does that make you?"

"Out for a breath of fresh air," she quipped. "The air off the river is so nice this time of year."

It was February. A brisk, almost cold enough to freeze the river February. She was still wearing the trench coat, but it was open now and he could see that she wore a tiny little black dress that left her legs exposed to the cold and they were starting to turn red.

"Well, since you're out for a breath of fresh air, let me treat you to some coffee," Smoker offered. "Since I must be a cop and you're definitely not a whore."

She gave him a look that was halfway between a sneer and a smirk. She was trying not to smile. Smoker had a harder time trying to ignore the warning signs going off in his head. This was just a mark. He had to pump her for information and then get her to testify. He couldn't get stuck on the touchy-feelies.

"I don't drink coffee," she protested. "But I do shoot whiskey. You game?"

Admittedly, it would be easier for him to forget he was going to use her like a condom and toss her when he was done if he had a few drinks in him, and she'd probably be more pliable too.

"Sure. But not in this district. Let's get out of this shit-hole area," he suggested. They had been walking back to the East Blue side of the bridge and were within eyeshot of his car. He pointed to it. "Beats walking if you'll trust a ride out of me."

The woman gave a glare to the man who was her pimp and nodded briskly to Smoker. "A heater would be nice."

As they climbed into his car, Smoker made one last cursory glance to make sure he hadn't left anything incriminating in it. He specifically drove an older mid-sized sedan that looked very non-conspicuous and made sure there were no computers or radios and other paraphernalia that usually occupied an unmarked when he was going undercover. The car was clean, as it had been a few days ago when he'd cleaned it out, but Smoker was feeling paranoid now. This woman was not stupid and if he didn't keep his wits about him she might see through him.

Maybe liquor wasn't such a good idea after all…

"So what's your whiskey of choice?" he asked, turning the heat up full blast as he started the car. The woman unconsciously put her fingers up to the heater.

"Jim Beam, if you're buying," she replied. "Otherwise, whatever's on special."

"Of course I'm buying," he returned. "What kind of gentleman would I be if I made a lady buy her own drink after inviting her out?"

"The kind of man who is never referred to as gentle and walks the bridge of Tequila Wolf," she answered. "So what should I call you, Mr. Gentleman?"

He didn't know why, but he told her his name. His real name. Or at least the nickname made from his real name.

"Call me Chaser," he told her. "What about you?"

"Bella."

Bella? Well, whatever. The Don was Italian so maybe he got his kicks naming his girls in Italian. Bella was Italian for beautiful and Smoker could see a rough kind of beauty in the woman that made her deserving of the name.

"You're really not a cop right?" the woman who referred to herself as Bella asked suddenly, sounding panicked. "Not that there's anything wrong with accepting a ride and a drink from a cop, but I don't need no trouble."

"I'm not going to give you trouble," he lied, looking straight ahead. "We're just going for a drink. And if you want, after I will take you back to Tequila Wolf, alright?"

She took a deep breath and released it slowly. "If you're lying to me, I'm going to cut out your nuts and fry them up and serve them to you oyster style."

Smoker believed she was serious and had to force himself not to adjust in the seat as his nuts tingled.

"What lovely imagery," was all he managed to reply.

"If you're not a cop, then what do you do for a living?" she asked. Again, Smoker told her the truth, which was actually a part of his cover story.

"I'm going to school right now. Working on my Master's," he told her. "In my last semester, in fact. Got my dissertation in the back seat I think if you're looking to fall asleep reading."

She did look into the back seat and saw the books lying there.

"I knew you were too schooled to be on Tequila Wolf," she said. "Fuckin' Masters. Go figure. What the hell were you doing out there? Trying to find a way to celebrate your last term?"

He laughed. "What were you doing? Looking for a way to catch pneumonia?" he returned. "I'm a man. I have needs. And the Master's program doesn't allow much time for dating. I was trying to give my right had a break."

She laughed this time. Heartily too. "You should have used your left, then."

Damn, was this woman entertaining. They took a few more shots at each other while he headed to a dive bar in a less unsavory part of town. As he parked, he did another cursory glance around to make sure none of the scumbags he had associated with on the Sawshark case were around to narc on him.

"So we've established that I'm having Jim Bean, so what are you having, Chaser?" she asked.

It was odd to hear her say his name. Like they were really acquaintances rather than a mark and her future ruin.

"I go a different direction when I want to indulge," Smoker told her, slipping his hand into his jacket pocket and pulling out a Cuban cigar. Her eyes went wide.

"Do you have another one of those?" she asked, mesmerized. "'Cause I'd take that over the Jim Beam in a heartbeat."

Ah, a woman after his own heart—

Chase Smoker, what the fuck are you thinking? Get your fucking head back in the game!

"Of course," he told her, handing over the one he'd supplied and pulling out another. "And you can still have your whisky."

She smiled brilliantly at him as she brought the cigar up and clenched it between her teeth. Smoker had another argument with himself as his mind warred with being awed by the woman and trying to remember he was using her.

"Well then let's get in this shit-hole and get a buzz on," she goaded, grabbing his arm and towing him along with her. She yanked him through the door and then hauled him up to the bar and sat on one of the stools. Smoker's inner monologue wouldn't quiet as he took a seat next to her.

The bartender was with other patrons so they took care of the business of lighting the cigars and taking those long, first drags. It helped to calm Smoker's nerves and clear his head a little, but the internal war was still there.

Bella kept on looking around for some reason that became clear when she suddenly put her cigar in his care and took off to the corner of the bar. There he saw the dimly lit sign for the restroom. With his brief moments of alone time, Smoker tried to harden his resolve while simultaneously knowing that it was useless. He liked the woman too much to use her the way he and Garp had planned.

"What can I get you?" the bartender asked as he sauntered over.

"A Jim Beam for the lady," Smoker answered, switching out his cigar for hers. If he didn't puff on it once or twice, it would go out.

"And for you, sir?"

"Nothing, unless you've got something that will make my mind shut the fuck up for the next couple of hours," Smoker returned petulantly. The bartender raised an eyebrow at him.

"You want a mind numbing drink or a mind erasing drink?" he posed in return.

"Whichever is stronger," Smoker dismissed, knowing that it didn't matter what he got; he was about to get cold feet for his damn assignment.

"So where did you find some Cubans?" Bella asked as she returned. Smoker switched out the cigars again and handed her the one she'd claimed.

"Got them from a guy when I was working," he answered, and immediately regretted it.

"So you do work," she observed dryly.

"Hey, you asked what I did for a living," Smoker tried to recover. "School is my living, and right now it doesn't pay. So I do odd jobs on the side between reference papers."

"Like what?"

Of course she wouldn't drop the subject. That'd be too easy.

"At the time, I was doing security," he told her. It wasn't a lie. He'd been the hired muscle to protect the drug cartel. It just so happened that he wasn't around the day the bust went down.

"I was trying to get a job in security," she admitted. "I have a friend that does it. But the company that Genzo works for, Yotsuba Security, has some stupid ass problem with hiring women. Fuckers."

Smoker was going to have to look into that. Smoker knew a few guys over at Yotsuba Security but didn't realize that they had a thing against hiring women. That was illegal. But that was also for later.

"It wasn't much my thing. I quit not long after that," Smoker told her. Just where the fuck were the drinks? Was that bartender out distilling the fucking whiskey? Smoker looked down the bar and saw the bartender messing with some odd looking fluted tap. The hell was that?

"Looks like it could be your thing," Bella commented. "You're kinda beefy looking."

She poked him in the upper arm for good measure.

"Thanks. I just prefer not to turn into a potato as I grow older," he replied, which was mostly truth again. "What about you? Legs for days and a rocking body but I don't see you walking a runway."

"I prefer bridges I guess," she snorted.

Fucking finally, their drinks arrived. Her whisky in a glass with ice ball, his…whatever it was in some crystal goblet looking thing.

"The fuck…" he began, looking up at the bartender.

"Absinthe," he replied. "The Mind Eraser. It was the stronger of the two."

Bella shook her head and shrugged her shoulders as she sipped her whiskey. Smoker bit the bullet and tried the liquor. It tasted somewhat like black licorice. Not something he enjoyed.

"Next time I'll take the other thing," Smoker replied to the bartender. He laughed.

"You won't need a next drink, sir," the bartender assured him. Smoker doubted his words.

"I don't know how you can drink that," Bella told him. "I hate black licorice."

"Not my favorite either," Smoker admitted, though he took another drink. Still was awful.

"Need a chaser, Chaser?" Bella offered, snickering.

"I'm afraid to mix the two," Smoker admitted. Actually, the absinthe and the cigar weren't going too well together either. After a few moments consideration, he cut off the burning end and saved the rest of the cigar for a later date in his pocket.

"That bad?" Bella asked, cringing.

"You wanna try and see for yourself?" Smoker offered. She looked skeptical for a moment before taking the crystal goblet.

"This drink is so weird. Why does it need a crystal goblet?" she asked, sniffing the drink. Her upper lip wrinkled.

"Fuck if I know," Smoker answered, watching her take a drink. It almost came right back out. Somehow, Bella swallowed and came up coughing.

"That's awful!" she croaked, chasing the swallow with whiskey.

"Don't mix anything with the Absinthe!" the bartender warned from down the bar.

"Oops," Bella muttered, taking another swallow of whiskey.

"Time to get rid of this shit," Smoker deduced, lifting the crystal goblet again. He downed the drink in three swallows that burned and threatened to come back up. He tried covering up some coughs as he put the goblet back on the bar. Bella passed him her whiskey. He took a gingerly swallow to clear out the licorice taste.

"Never getting that again," Smoker decided, handing back the almost gone whiskey.

"How much did that shit cost?" Bella asked. Smoker raised his hand to signal the bartender.

"We're about to find out," he murmured. "Can we cash out?"

The bartender nodded and after ringing at the register came over with a little white receipt. Smoker eyed it quickly and placed a bill in the bartender's hand.

"No change," he told the bartender. The man nodded and went away to cash up.

Bella was eyeing him warily. "You handed him a two-thousand berry bill. Why didn't you ask for change?"

"Because there would have been very little," Smoker admitted, blinking rapidly. He was starting to see white around the edges of his vision.

"My whiskey couldn't have been more than seven hundred fifty berries," she deduced. "You're telling me that drink was at least a thousand berries?"

"Yep," Smoker replied, realizing the whiteness wasn't going away.

"Fuck," she murmured, downing the last of her whiskey. "Let's get outta here. Where do you wanna go now?"

Smoker, who was not a light weight, actually waivered when he stood up.

"I don't care," he told her, handing her the keys. "You drive."

"Uh-huh," she agreed, eyeing him warily. "Note to self, never drink Absinthe again in my life."

"Same here," Smoker agreed. He made it to the bar entrance without wavering or tripping anymore but he wasn't moving very fast.

"Chaser, are you alright?" she asked with concern in her voice.

"I think I need to sit back down," he decided, walking to his car very carefully. He sat down in the passenger seat and laid his head back on the head rest. Now his head was swimming.

"Maybe I should take you home," Bella contemplated. "Where do you live, Chaser?"

Smoker didn't think he answered her. Actually, he couldn't remember much of anything after that. When he did come to and start remembering again, it was an hour or so later by the time on the clock next to the bed that he was fucking the hell out of the magenta-haired woman in.

Consciousness came back to him slowly. At first, he realized he was no longer in the car. Then he realized he was somewhere that had a bed. Next was when he realized he was screwing the woman called Bella rather roughly. And lastly was that he shouldn't be doing it.

Of course, that thought came right before he did, so it was a moot point.

With a heaving sigh, he blasted a load into the woman and went limp over her. It took a couple seconds for him to recall his mind again, but when he did, he looked at the woman called Bella in trepidation. She was breathing heavy too, but not looking all that upset at being in bed with him. At worst, she looked a little put out that the show was over.

"Well, at least you're not a two-pump chump," she quipped. "But you've obviously never heard the expression 'ladies first.'"

His mind was running a little slow still, so he didn't quite get the pokes at his pride at first.

"If you're asking for a round two," he began. Bella laughed.

"I doubt you're up for it," she guessed. "You look ready to pass out again. I thought you might in the car and when you kept on giving me this weird address on Goza Street when I asked where you lived."

Smoker felt a jolt of anxiety at the mention of the Goza Street address. It was the address where he'd been watching the Don's prostitute job fair from. He obviously wasn't there now, since that place was just an empty apartment above a convenience store.

"So, where'd we end up?" he asked when it was clear she wasn't going to elaborate any further.

She gave him a worried look. "I took you to a hotel, just like you asked."

"I don't remember much after the bar," he admitted. It finally occurred to him that he was lying on top of her still and he slid off and out of her.

To his surprise, Bella laughed. "You don't remember? Really?"

He felt like the world's biggest ass. "No. I don't. When did we…"

She laughed harder. "You kept on saying, 'we gotta have sex now.' Over and over. I thought you were going to make me do you in the car. Finally, you just told me to go to a cheap hotel and once we were in the room, you were stripping. I suppose you seemed a little off, but I just thought it was the booze."

"The Mind Eraser," Smoker recalled. "Holy fuck. I just fucked you and don't even remember most of it."

"Glad I'm so memorable," Bella muttered, her mood turning at that last comment. "Look, just give me my ten thousand berries and I'll be on my way and you can contemplate on how good or bad it might have been."

She started to get up from the bed but Smoker reached out and grabbed her hand. She gave him an annoyed look.

"What?" she asked.

What was he going to say? He just didn't want to let her go yet. Not because he wanted to fuck her again or because she was so intriguing or because she was about to get herself wrapped up in a hostile prostitution sting. It was because he didn't want her to leave feeling insulted.

Shit. He was such a moron.

"Look, I'm about to say something that will probably be very disturbing to you, but I would appreciate if you could keep an open mind, okay?" he requested. Bella looked suspicious and pulled her hand out of his grasp.

"You're not going to tell me you've got syph are you?" she retorted. "That's why I insisted on a condom—"

"It's not that," he denied. "Look, I can't give you your money."

Her face went from suspicious to livid in a heartbeat. "You son of a—"

"I can't give it to you because if I do, then you'll be considered accepting payment for sexual services rendered and I would have to arrest you," he got out. Her eyes went wide. "Because I'm a cop."

She panicked. She was up and off the bed in a second and running around the room in a flurry looking for her clothes.

"No! You said it! You told me you weren't a cop!" she hissed, though he could hear more fear in her voice than anger.

"I never said I wasn't. I avoided the question. You made the assumption," he reminded her.

She paused a moment to reflect on that as she pulled her underwear on. "Fine. I made a bogus assumption. But if I don't take your money, that means I'm not a prostitute, right? I can leave here, no harm no foul?"

She was half begging as she asked, slipping the dress back on. He felt terrible for fooling her.

"Bella will you sit down for a second so I can finish explaining myself to you?" Smoker requested, but he had a feeling it was in vain. Damn, maybe he should have stayed lying on top of her for this conversation…

"Why should I listen to you?" she panicked on. Shit, she was headed for the door!

Smoker hopped out of bed buck naked and ran to the door to intercept her. She had a look of incredulity as he blocked her way.

"Are you going to hold me against my will?" she asked. "Isn't that unlawful imprisonment?"

"Just for a minute," he promised. "Please listen to me, alright?"

She gave him a look that suggested that she would hear his words but not listen to a thing he said. Smoker sighed heavily. He had to try.

"I have a different proposition for you," he told her. She looked incredulous again. "Hear me out. You go back to that pimp on Tequila Wolf and tell him that you just can't do this job. Then I take you back to the precinct—"

"Oh, hell no!" she hollered, dropping her face in her hands. "I can't be arrested! I have to get home to my kids!"

So they were her kids. Smoker felt another stab in his gut.

"To the precinct to interview you," he finished a little louder than her wails. "Just interview. I need some info about the Don Kreig Mafia from someone who's been in it. That's all. Then you can go home to your kids. I promise. Unless you agree to another offer."

Don't ask about the offer. Don't ask about the offer. Don't ask about the offer.

"What offer?" she asked, sounding almost listless. Looks like shock had set in.

"To—" he stumbled, and then crumbled. He couldn't do this to her. He couldn't make her a target for the Don Krieg Mafia for testifying. She was a decent person. She had kids. She didn't want to do what she was doing, he knew from how she'd acted on the bridge. There had to be a better solution for her.

"To—to go to school," he offered. "At night. To become a paralegal. To work for me when I get my law office open."

She peeked up through her fingers. "That wasn't a bullshit lie?"

He shook his head in denial. "I'm graduating in May. Hopefully passing the Bar Exam in June."

"I can't go to school," she muttered, but he could see that she was crumbling too. "How would I support myself and kids? I lost my job two days ago and we're living off my daughter's paper route money."

Ouch. No wonder she had been desperate enough to agree to being a prostitute.

"I'll talk to the guys at the security place you're looking at, Yotsuba Security, and ask them to pull a few strings for me," Smoker told her. "I'm pretty sure I can manage to get you in somewhere. And it'll only be temporary. I'll be opening my practice soon, probably in the next six months or so, and you can come be my personal assistant."

The plan was formulating in his head faster than caution wanted to allow, but he couldn't help it. There was something about Bella that drew him. She was unlike any other woman he'd met before.

"I don't even know you," she pointed out.

It was true. They'd met on Tequila Wolf, gotten (ridiculously, on his part) drunk together, and fucked. That was it. They didn't even know each other's last names. If the names they had given were real names.

"My name is Officer Chase Smoker, EBPD," Smoker introduced himself, holding out his hand. Bella smiled in spite of her anxiety. "Chaser is my nickname."

"Do you always work in the nude, Chaser?" she asked, shaking his hand firmly. Smoker had forgotten his nudity and went bright red. He could see the redness on his own nose from his peripheral vision. "The name's Belle LaFemme. Bella is what that idiot Krieg wanted to call me."

Of course. Her name meant beautiful lady in French. The name was well deserved.

Wait, you're naked. Don't think about things like that. She'll be able to see when you get hard.

Smoker raced over to the bed to put his boxers back on, followed quickly by his pants. When he looked back at Belle, she was smirking at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Nice birth mark," she remarked, trying not to laugh.

"It's a scar," he sighed in exasperation. He had a heart-shaped scar on his butt that many people mistook for a birth mark, but it was far from it. In his first year as an officer, Chase Smoker had taken a bullet—in the tush. Damn it, he wished she hadn't seen that. Couldn't he keep just a shred of his dignity while begging this woman to work for him?

"Fooled me," she sniggered.

"Look, are you going to take the offer or not?" Smoker snapped. He didn't much like being the butt of a joke, especially when the joke centered around _his_ butt.

"It's a nice offer," she started, and Smoker could hear a different kind of 'but' coming.

"Then take it," he urged. "What have you got to lose? A prostitution job? One that will get you arrested in three weeks if I get my leads? What have you got to gain? A degree in something you can use later if you decide you hate working for me?"

She wavered. He could see it. He had to sweeten the deal.

"I'll give you the rest of my Cuban," he offered. He hoped she liked smoking them as much as he did.

"Half," she countered.

"You want half of my Cuban?" he asked, perplexed.

"No, I want half of all the Cubans you come by in the future," she bartered with a small smile. Yes! He had her!

"Deal," he promised, holding his hand out again. They shook on it.

.o0o.

Smoker looked down at his hand. Fuck, if he'd only known what that deal would eventually cost, he'd have never made it. He would have just sent her on her way to look for a job on her own. But he was idiotically and unwaveringly in love with Belle, as he had been the day he'd met her, and there was no going back from that. Only forward.

Somehow.


	27. Chapter Twenty-Seven: Nami

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Nami**

She'd been left in this shitty interrogation room for over three hours. She hadn't said a word after Smoker had left because she knew—she just _knew_ —her mother was in the observation room. Smoker would have brought her to the station and used whatever clout he had with the officers to allow her mother to listen in on their conversation.

It was hard stuff to listen to, but Nami knew that Bell-mere had to hear it. If she didn't, Bell-mere would just keep on trying to find her and pull her back into the life they had before that was too dangerous to live in anymore. Nami believed there was no going back where Donquixote was involved.

Nami didn't know as much about Donquixote as she thought she should, but knowing his sadistic nature and sexual preferences was enough. She knew that man was dangerous and probably a shade of insane and she didn't want that anywhere near her mother or sister. Letting her mother hear that she didn't want to be with her anymore, make it seem like she didn't love her anymore, make Bell-mere blame herself for Nami's troubles (even though Nami clearly blamed Smoker) was the only way to get Bell-mere to let go it seemed.

Then, Nami could disappear into the wind.

But she also wasn't stupid. If Arlong had contacts in the EBPD, it was likely that Donquixote did as well. She did her best so that anyone who listened to or watched her interrogation tape would hear her claiming ignorance. If someone did by chance happen to see that paper, well, they'd have to look really hard at it to see anything but scornful words written haphazardly about her old yakuza buddies.

She hoped she had done enough.

It looked like Smoker got the message, at least. And he would no doubt relay that message to Garp. Hopefully, he'd be smart enough to do it without saying it out loud. Or at least not within hearing distance of anyone untrustworthy.

But in the meantime, she wanted out of this shitty police station. And preferably to a hospital that wasn't owned by the criminal underground. Her leg was throbbing fiercely and Nami suspected that she'd torn something again. Besides, when the evils that be came after her again, she wanted to be somewhere that she could be treated for the injuries she was likely to receive.

For slipping through Donquixote's grasp, she expected to be beaten until she couldn't run away and then transported to wherever Donquixote was and then sodomized until she died. But if she were in a hospital with police guard, maybe she'd get lucky and someone would just try the good old fashioned food poisoning or something.

Finally, Garp reentered interrogation.

"You're useless as anything but a witness," Garp told her. "And everyone you could testify against is dead. You're lucky; I should be sending you to a juvenile detention center, but there's no point in keeping you as a prisoner. Your admitted crimes, involving coercion and intimidation are misdemeanors and we are within our ability to strike those away as long as you agree to go home with your custodial parent."

"No," Nami answered immediately. "I want to be emancipated, not incarcerated into my room indefinitely. If I have to go to jail, send me to juvie."

Garp snorted a laugh. "You really gave your mother a shock. She might really have a nervous breakdown because of you."

Nami shrugged indifferently, though she was mentally cursing Smoker. She hadn't realized that Bell-mere was that poorly off. Just what the hell was Smoker doing with her? Anything? The moron should have at least been making sure she was eating and sleeping. Couldn't he even accomplish that?

"Take it or leave it," Garp advised. "But think seriously about it. If you go to juvie, you'll be put away with a lot of the kids you handed the ass to when you were a Messenger. You up to keeping yourself from being beaten to a bloodier pulp?"

"Can't I just go to the hospital?" Nami snapped. "I need my leg looked at. My arm and shoulder too, while I'm there."

Garp laughed. "You escaped the last hospital you went to."

It was true, and with listening ears, she couldn't exactly explain why she had either. So she decided to go to drastic measures. She stood from her chair and yanked down her leggings to expose her bandaged leg. It was bleeding through the bandage again.

"Should I show this to the camera behind that two-way mirror and tell it that you're refusing to give me medical treatment?" Nami challenged.

"You could just as easily be coming onto a police officer exposed like that," Garp suggested. "After all, you were a whore."

That stung. A lot. But Nami wasn't about to show that on her face.

"Fine, I'll pass out from blood loss and you can let the medical examiner explain why," Nami replied, pulling her leggings back up. Garp laughed.

"You are such a conniving little girl," he praised. "It's almost as entertaining as it is annoying. Fine, I will send you to the hospital. But you will only be discharged into the custody of your mother. That's what you get for a compromise."

It wasn't much of one. He had to know why she was avoiding being with her mother. She didn't want to bring down anymore heat on her family, and Garp was practically ensuring it. The bastard. He probably planned on using her.

Like hell she was going to let that happen again.

"Fine," she huffed. "Can I go now?"

"In such a hurry," Garp criticized. "It's very unladylike."

"So is me telling you to go fuck yourself," she bit back. "But I will do it again if you don't stop dallying. Seriously. I've been shot three times and one of the wounds is bleeding and you're refusing to—"

"That's enough," Garp snapped. "I'm not refusing anything. I am simply waiting for my colleague to come let us out of interrogation."

Nami wasn't all that impressed with Garp, to tell the truth. He wasn't necessarily inept, but he didn't do as much as he should. Or at least, he didn't do it the way Nami believed he should. He could have been great, real great if he would just let go of his plans to manipulate people into doing what he wanted and doing the work himself.

Of course, that would have put a big target on his forehead for the organized crime families. And just like with Bell-mere, the danger would have probably reigned down onto his family, too.

Finally, an officer came and let the two of them out of interrogation. Nami was put into an ambulance and taken to the nearest hospital to be treated for injuries. Thankfully, it wasn't Flevance Clinic. She figured she would be visited by Law soon, but hoped to avoid it until she could get emancipated from her family.

Her arm and shoulder were 'healing nicely,' as the on-call doctor put it, but the leg had too many stitches torn and they were going to have to go in and do some repair work. So she was admitted and put under a local anesthetic while they tinkered with her leg.

She was put under watch, of course, which meant only police officers were allowed to come see her. Not even her family was allowed in. That was a small bonus she hadn't been counting on. Now she didn't have to have Nojiko come in and bitch at her for doing such stupid things or have Bell-mere come in and try to mother her uselessly.

But she was lonely.

Yeah, she had spent most of the last week and a half alone in Zoro's place, but he did come home eventually and talk at her. That wasn't so bad. Plus she liked getting the Luffy updates. Zoro wasn't the most descriptive person, but when there was something of note to say, he said it. So now, she was in the dark as to how Luffy was.

Ten-to-one, she could sneak out of this room and go see him herself, if she wanted.

But she would bust her stitches again, and she needed to keep her leg in good shape. She had a feeling she was going to be running soon. And not just metaphorically.

.o0o.

At eight o'clock in the evening, she was allowed dinner. It was nothing exciting, but it wasn't take out, and Nami appreciated that. She ordered some omurice from the dinner menu and waited for it to show up. At eight fifteen, it did. Along with something unpleasant. Maybe food poisoning really _was_ the way she was going to be killed off.

"Well, look who finally dragged herself back to the hospital," Law said as he rolled a cart with her food on it into the room, looking perfectly like one of the hospital's orderlies. He had on scrubs and even had an I.D. tag that declared him an employee at the hospital.

Nami made a face and tried to control the swell of panic that rolled through her. "I wanted to live through that fiasco with the Fishmen. Not be dragged into the fuck-pit of Donquixote right away and be screwed to death."

"Kudos to you for making it away _almost_ scot-free," he praised as he took a seat in the visitor's chair and proceeded to eat her dinner for her. Well, it wasn't going to be food poisoning then. "Too bad your blonde boy toy didn't get you out of there faster."

"I don't remember much of what happened after the building came down," Nami admitted. "I remember seeing you in the crowd, though. After that, it gets fuzzy."

"You went into shock again. Seems to be a common occurrence for you," Law chuckled. "Didn't know you were that much of a weakling."

"Like you'd fare any better if Donquixote fucked the hell out of you," Nami criticized. Law gave her a dark grin.

"You'd be surprised," he told her. Her eyes went wide. No way…

"So, I'm here to tell you what you already figured out that day, whether it be subconsciously in the ambulance or consciously in my father's clinic: the Boss owns you. No amount of killing yakuza thugs or bringing down buildings is going to change that. He bought and paid for you and now you belong to him to be used in whatever way he deems suitable."

She felt ill. She was suddenly glad he had eaten her dinner; it may have come back up with the reminder.

"But he doesn't want a broken toy to play with, lucky for you," Law went on. "He wants you nice and healthy so he can be the one to break you."

"So I get a reprieve from him for a couple weeks?" Nami surmised flatly.

"A month or so," Law allowed. "Enough time for the EBPD to lose interest in you."

"I doubt that will ever happen," she told him. "Garp seems to think that I'm integral in the whole mafia-gang-yakuza business, no matter what I tell him."

"Oh, yeah, I heard the interrogation tapes," Law chuckled. "So you think Hatchan can't bust his way through a wet paper bag, do you?"

"I've never seen him fight," Nami clarified. "So I was honest. No I don't think he'd be a big threat. But if I'm wrong, so what?"

Law tapped the side of his forehead. "I told the boss you were smart. You just keep on saying things like that and those two little birds you live with won't get hurt."

Nami sighed deeply. "Fuck them. I can honestly tell you that my thoughts about the police protection on this room was good to at least keep out an overbearing mother and nagging sister. I'm so done with both of them."

"I _almost_ believe you," Law smiled. "No one works that hard to save someone just to toss them away."

"Watch me," Nami said. "I don't want to go home after this, and that's the one place Garp will send me. I'm going to be grounded to my room and bitched at constantly until I can escape from that hell hole."

"The emancipation," Law summed up. "Yeah, I heard all that too. Well, good luck with that. Your lawyer friend—"

"He's not my friend!" Nami snapped.

"Now that I can believe," Law grinned. "Well, he's gonna fight that emancipation, and to tell the truth, so will Donquixote. He's gonna want you connected with your weakness at all times."

Nami had been trying to prevent that.

"I want my clothes back, by the way," Law spoke up. "My money too."

"I already spent it," Nami told him. "And I don't have your clothes anymore, though I could probably get them back. They're covered in blood."

"That was my favorite sweatshirt," Law muttered. "I want the clothes and the money. I don't care how you do it."

"Do I gotta do it right now?" Nami asked. "Kinda stuck in a hospital under guard. Can it wait until I get out?"

Law shrugged. "You know where to find me."

She did. But that reminded her…

"Are you in that shitty school to watch Crocodile too?" she asked. Technically speaking, it wasn't her job anymore. But the curiosity was there nonetheless.

"I'm helping him," Law shrugged. "A favor from the Boss."

"Crocodile has balls. I wouldn't ask for anything from the Boss," Nami marveled. Law snorted a laugh.

"I guess if he had balls, you'd be the one to know!" he chortled. "I heard he was your first fuck. How'd that go?"

Nami froze. How did he know that? She didn't mention that in interrogation.

"Roughly," Nami answered warily. Law grinned maliciously.

"Was he your first?" he asked with too much enthusiasm. It was sickening.

"If you're asking if he took my virginity, the answer is no," Nami answered. "And you're disgusting for asking."

"Crocodile was crowing about fucking one of his students in Arlong's menagerie. I can only assume he meant you," Law told her. "He claims to have taken her virginity. I take it that is incorrect."

"Very," Nami bit. The fucker. He was going around telling everyone he'd fucked her? He was such a sick fuck.

"Figured as much," Law commented. "I thought for you, it was probably that blonde."

Nami froze again. How did he know these things?

"Bulls eye," Law grinned. "He looked a little too invested in you. I wondered if it went both ways."

"No," she answered. "I don't think I feel about him the way he feels about me."

"How do you feel about him?" Law asked, too curious.

"Grateful," Nami answered. She didn't like the way he was prying into her business like it was his. She needed to stop talking to him now.

"I feel bad for him then," Law chuckled. "He's got it bad for you."

Nami decided not to believe him. He was a bastard who worked for Donquixote and whether or not he was coerced to do it, it didn't look like he hated it. He probably would have been a small-time hoodlum with or without Donquixote.

"I'm getting the vibe that you don't want to chat anymore," Law said, getting up from the visitor's seat to handed her something. "Here. You have to be accessible at all times for the boss."

Nami saw that it was a cell phone. Reluctantly, she took it. She saw that there were a few preprogrammed numbers in the phone already. One was from Law. Joy.

"Keep that thing charged," Law instructed, clearing away her dinner that he'd eaten. "I'll be in touch. Lest you want the Boss to come see you."

"No thank you," she muttered, knowing that Law was the lesser of two evils.

Law left and Nami was once again alone. She took it back; she would deal with the loneliness if her only companion for conversation was going to be Law.

.o0o.

Three days was a long time. And admittedly, Nami was milking it. She made sure to stay in the hospital as long as possible since she didn't want to be released into the custody of her mother.

But on the flip side of things, she was seriously getting sick of Law.

Law visited her every day, three times a day. She had even tried skipping meals in order to avoid him, but he'd just brought food to her room and ate it in front of her like he did that first night. He was an awful conversationalist. He constantly brought up things she'd rather not talk about. Like about living with her mother and endangering her, Sabo's obvious interest in her, and the vulnerability of her friends to Donquixote if he felt like killing someone. It was nerve wracking.

"So I hear you're being evicted," Law started as he wheeled in her lunch that day. "Going home this afternoon. Shall I tell you how much I'm going to miss our lovely conversations?"

"Knock yourself out, I suppose," Nami replied. "I can't say the same."

"Aw, don't say that," Law cajoled. "You have an order from the Boss, and you're not gonna like it if that's the way you feel."

Nami stiffened. What? She thought she had a reprieve for a month while her body healed.

"That's a good look," Law teased. "You look terrified. Good. You should be. The Boss is not someone to be crossed. So be a good little spy and do what he says."

"Spy?" Nami repeated warily.

"Yes, spy," Law confirmed. "You're going to continue to do what you were doing before: spying on the goings on at Louge-Town Senior High."

Nami closed her eyes and swallowed back down the bile that threatened to come back up. No! She didn't want to face that son of a bitch again!

"Oh, there's more, sweet cheeks," Law promised in a delighted tone. "You and I are going to be working the same area, and operatives in the same area always cover for each other. You and I are going to be lovebirds."

"No!" Nami insisted. "I don't want to!"

An officer stuck his head in the door. "Everything alright in here?"

"Yeah, the patient is just being ornery on her last day," Law assured him. "She doesn't want to eat her lunch."

The officer ducked back out of the room.

"Relax, sweet cheeks," Law told her. "It's appearances only. We'll only have to go to school together, and go home from school together. And hang out at school in between classes. Oh, and also hang out on weekends."

Nami was shaking with frustration and anger. Why Law? Why?

Law looked positively entertained. He was doing it on purpose. "Listen, sweet cheeks—"

"Stop calling me sweet cheeks," she growled, "or I'll hop out of this bed and shank you with a piece of that plate."

Law laughed. "Ah, you're so entertaining. A small thing like you couldn't—"

Nami was off the bed and had a hold of the fork on the tray that Law had brought in and had it snug against his groin. Law wasn't idle either; he had grabbed up the knife but had little time to do anything but use it to parry the fork.

"You're good," Law acknowledged. "I'm impressed. I thought you'd only be good for fucking."

"I have lots of skills," Nami told him. Her leg was throbbing and her arm was shaking against Law's parry, but she wasn't going to let him see her weakness. "I'm not a _small thing_ or _sweet cheeks_. I am dangerous. Don't forget it."

She'd let the altercation go on too long, Law regained his composure and was easily pushing her back now. She decided to give up with her dignity and went back to lift herself on the bed. When she got herself comfortable again, she addressed him.

"Why does Don—" she started.

"The Boss," Law corrected her quickly. Nami narrowed her eyes at him and he tapped his ear and looked around.

"Fine," she relented. "Why does the Boss need me to go spy on—er, the school? Didn't he offer you up as help?"

"It got around to the Boss that you found a leak in your former boss's organization," Law told her. "It seems the 'party in question' lets his guard down around you and tells you things he doesn't tell others."

"So?" Nami posed. So Crocodile apparently was loose lipped when he was around her? So what?

"So, we want to know a little bit more about what's being investigated there," Law replied. "We think that the 'party in question' will tell you."

Nami sighed as she digested this information. She had a feeling she knew how they planned on using her. "You're going to want to have me let him fuck me again, aren't you?"

Law shrugged. "The means doesn't matter as long as we get the end result."

"Once I find out what's being investigated, what then?" Nami posed. If she told Donquixote what Crocodile was looking for, what else would he want from her?

"You'll just assist me," Law told her.

"What are you in the grand scheme of things?" Nami asked.

"Amongst other things," he grinned deviously, "I am a thug in this case. Hired help. It seems the 'party in question' is desperate to keep things tame at school. So if someone acts out of line, say, gets into a fight just two blocks from school grounds, I take care of it."

"I didn't see you around when Buggy tried to shoot me," Nami complained, knowing that's the time he was indicating.

"You have a reputation that precedes you, Miss Cat Burglar Nami, the red-head Messenger from the Sawshark yakuza," Law rattled off. "You shouldn't have needed my help. But in case you lost, I was on the fringe to clean up after you."

Nami snorted. "It's not much of a reputation anymore."

"It's much worse," Law contradicted. "You're still the Cat Burglar Nami, but now you're the red-head from the Joker's gang."

The Joker? Nami had never heard of it.

"So what's your reputation, then?" Nami asked, trying to recall if she'd ever heard of a Joker in all the time with Arlong's yakuza.

Law's face went impassive. He didn't smile or frown, he just went expressionless. His eyes fell to half lidded and he didn't move a muscle…but somehow he felt even more dangerous than when he'd toted around the nodatchi.

"I'm the Surgeon of Death," he answered calmly. He watched her face for a moment before a lazy grin covered his face. "I take it you've heard of me."

Nami could only nod mutely at first. Finally, she found her voice again. "I didn't realize that the Surgeon of Death worked for anybody."

"And that's the point," Law told her. "By the time a person finds out about the Joker, they either belong to him or they are about to die."

Nami digested the new information. She didn't want to belong to anyone, but it was better than death. Maybe. She'd have to see. Because if belonging to Donquixote was as rough as it had been the night she'd first seen him, she was going to ultimately choose death. She still had that right.

"You don't realize how deep you're in, do you?" Law guessed, watching her. "I once thought like you. I did. But I wasn't allowed an out. You won't be allowed one either. He'll make you live."

Law undid a wide banded watch from his wrist and showed it to her. There was a long, ugly scar there. He had obviously slit his wrist with something, but the attempt had clearly not worked.

"Did he stitch you up where you stood?" Nami asked bitingly, angered that she would not be allowed to even take her own life if she tried.

"No, my father did," Law answered, putting on the watch again. "Listen, sunshine, it's time for me to go. But don't worry. I'll be seeing you again soon. Don't try anything funny. Believe me, it's not worth it."

When he said that last part, a weird look crossed over Law's face. Nami would have said it looked haunted, but she also thought it looked horrified. He left her, taking her uneaten lunch with him, the bastard.

.o0o.

She did get released from the hospital that afternoon. But much to her surprise, it wasn't into her mother's custody. No, it was much worse. It was Smoker's custody.

"The fuck is this shit?" Nami asked when she was told the news.

"You said you didn't want to go home to your mother," Smoker griped right back. "Your mother has hit her limit. She's given up. She's giving you what you want: your emancipation."

Nami held the irritated look while the guilt swelled within her. But it was for the best. Even if she had to suffer through Smoker's presence.

"So I'm rooming with you now," she summed up.

"Hardly," Smoker snapped. "I'm fighting this tooth and nail. You're going to the East Blue Orphanage. At least until your emancipation comes through."

Nami felt a wave of fear go through her momentarily. The orphanage? That place was not a good one. It was run by Crocodile's lot, the Billions. It was a breeding ground for future assassins. Not a good place for her to go.

"Whatever," Nami dismissed. It was just a temporary setback. "I'll be out of there eventually."

"You may be there for longer than you think," Smoker predicted. "These court cases can drag on for months, or even years."

Not what Nami wanted to hear.

"You may as well just stay with your mother," he advised. "You'll both be happier."

"You don't know what would make me happy," Nami reminded him. "You only know what will make _you_ happy. And that's what you do, despite what may happen to others."

Smoker sighed in disgust.

"Look, I get that you hate me and the decisions I've made," Smoker said, "but I mean to do better in the future."

Smoker was wheeling her out of the hospital at that point, so he didn't see her roll her eyes. On the way out, Nami saw Law leaning in the doorway of the waiting room in plain clothes. He pushed off the door jam and walked towards them. Nami braced herself for the stupidity to come.

"Breaking out, Nami?" he asked, as if he didn't know. Nami rolled her eyes again, glad someone could see it. Law grinned at her. "Can I follow you home?"

"I'm going to the orphanage," Nami told him. Law's grin twitched ever so slightly.

"Really?" he responded. He didn't sound pleased. Donquixote probably mandated that Nami go home.

Nami threw a thumb in Smoker's direction. "Judicial system's orders."

"And you are?" Smoker asked of Law, sounding more cop than lawyer at the moment.

"Trafalgar Water," Law introduced himself, going so far as to hold out a hand. He was really hamming it up. "Nami's boyfriend."

Nami didn't see the face that Smoker made since he was behind her, but Law grinned again and took back his unshaken hand. She bet it was not a pleasant one.

"And rather than send her to an orphanage, she can come stay with me," Law offered. Nami didn't know what she disliked more: the orphanage or the possibility of ending up with Law.

"It was her mother's choice and she chose to let Nami go back to the orphanage," Smoker told him. "I'm not about to hand her over to a boyfriend who hasn't been around when she needed him and back to a hospital she was so desperate to get away from a few weeks ago."

So Smoker had put two and two together. He knew that Law was Dr Water's son. Too bad Nami couldn't just blurt out that Law was the Surgeon of Death. Maybe if she had known his real name before this…no, probably not. There wasn't really a good way to indicate that Law was a criminal. But it seemed like Smoker had pretty acute senses and suspected as much.

"I was at ground zero helping when Nami was brought in to my father," Law defended easily. "I saw her waiting to be transported, sent her to my father's clinic, and went back to trying to save lives. And I haven't been able to see her for the last three days because she's been under police protection."

"Why didn't I see you helping out with any of the searches?" Smoker asked.

"I don't know Nami's friends very well, and none of them felt the need to contact me," Law told him. "I had no idea that the searches were happening. I was looking for her on my own."

Law was very skilled at lying, Nami had to admit. At her level, probably. But would he fool Smoker?

"Regardless, she's going to the orphanage," Smoker ultimately decided, and began wheeling Nami towards the exit again. "Until the courts say otherwise."

Law didn't seem bothered by that and walked along side them for a moment.

"I guess I'll see you at school, Nami," Law offered up. Nami gave him a dark look.

"See you at school," she muttered as Smoker wheeled her away. Silence overtook them as she was delivered to Smoker's car and helped into it. When the car doors closed though, Smoker was not silent.

"Your boyfriend?" he asked as he started the car.

"Not that it's any of your business," Nami responded. "But yeah, I guess."

"I thought that kid Luffy was your boyfriend," Smoker told her. "Either that or that blonde kid Sabo."

"Well they're not!" Nami snapped. "Can we please stop talking about this?"

"Fine," Smoker conceded as he drove them to the East Blue Orphanage. She had no dealings with the place. She'd just heard about it and passed by it a couple times.

"How long until my first court date?" Nami asked, watching the building come into view. It was drab and lacked anything cheery about it. Children hovered in the fenced in yard, but they were all engaged in solo activities. No one interacted with one another.

"Three weeks," Smoker told her. "Are you sure you don't want to go home to your mother?"

Nami eyed the building and reminded herself that she had survived for four weeks in Arlong's whorehouse. Surely she could survive three weeks in an assassin's orphanage.

"I'm sure."

* * *

A/N: I know, it's been months. I apologize. Hopefully more regular updates to come. I seem to have gotten over my writer's block for the moment.


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